A youth baseball fundraiser in Truckee turned violent over the weekend after a man drove his pickup truck into a group of children and adults outside a Safeway, injuring seven people.
The Tahoe Titans, a local youth baseball team made up of boys ages 10 to 12, were raising money Saturday to help cover travel costs for a national tournament at the Cooperstown All Star Village in New York. The team was selling beef jerky outside the store and had raised about $2,500 by early afternoon.
Then, a man drove his truck through the back of the fundraiser table, striking the group.
Bree Waters, the team’s manager, said she had just left the fundraiser when she received a phone call describing what happened.
“A gentleman had walked by their table and put his cigar out on the boys’ sign and walked into the store. And then he went to the parking lot, and the next thing they knew, he had gotten in his truck and intentionally driven through the back of the table and hit all seven of them,” she said.
Three mothers and four boys were hit. Several victims were trapped between the truck and the store. Waters said the injuries could have been far worse if not for the structure of the building.
“The wall at Safeway was a false wall. It wasn’t structural,” she said. “The truck went through it and pushed the boys into the store. If that had been a solid wall, it would have been a very different outcome. I don’t think they would have survived.”
Truckee Police identified the driver as 49-year-old Jonathan Maurer of Coalinga, California. He was arrested at the scene and is facing multiple felony charges. Police say the incident appeared intentional, and the investigation is ongoing.
All of the victims were released from the hospital by Saturday night. One of the youngest players suffered a broken arm and may need to be readmitted. Others are recovering from broken bones, bruises, and emotional trauma.
Waters said the incident has taken a significant toll on the boys. To help them heal, the team plans to reunite soon — starting with a pizza party, followed by baseball practice — to bring back a sense of normalcy.
A GoFundMe created for the team has already raised thousands of dollars. Waters said the funds will first go toward covering medical expenses, and any additional money may help the team continue its plans to travel to New York for the tournament.
