Teen Survives 30 Hours In California Wilderness After His Dad Was Shot

A 45-year-old California man was shot and killed by a random gunman while off-roading in a remote area of Tahoe National Forest, leaving his 15-year-old son alone in the wilderness. Ari Gershman was testing out his brand new Jeep Rubicon with his son, Jack, when they were approached by a man on an ATV.

Gershman's cousin, Marlo Meyers-Barer, told the San Francisco Chronicle that Gershman had stopped at a fork and was unsure which way to go. When he asked the man for directions, the man opened fire on their Jeep.

"The man out of nowhere started shooting at the Jeep," Meyers-Barer wrote on social media. "Ari stepped on the gas to get out of harm's way, but one of the shots ripped through the seat and hit him. He was able to get the Jeep stopped, so Jack was able to run into the forest to hide."

Jack managed to evade the gunman and spent 30 hours hiding in the forest. When rescuers found him, he was covered in bug bites, but otherwise unharmed.

Not long after Jack had been located, the suspected gunman blew through a police checkpoint on his ATV, nearly running over the officers. A third officer gave chase in his vehicle and collided with the ATV. The suspect, identified as John Thomas Conway, was treated for injuries and taken into custody.

Authorities believe he shot two other people in the area. Those victims were driven to a nearby medical facility and airlifted to the hospital. They are both expected to survive.

Photo: KTVU-TV


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