Local News

Thieves accused of stealing Riverside school campus HVAC systems arrested

By Julie Sharp

Updated on: May 20, 2026 / 10:53 PM PDT / CBS LA

Duo arrested for allegedly stealing HVAC systems from Riverside school campuses

A theft duo accused of targeting Riverside school HVAC systems, stripping them of parts and causing over $130,000 in damage, has been arrested by police.

Rudy D. Hernandez, 47, and Kristy Lynn Zaragoza, 43, were arrested by Riverside Police Department officers and have been each charged with four counts of grand theft, four counts of vandalism, and four counts of conspiracy.

Kristy Lynn Zaragoza and Rudy D. Hernandez CBS LA

Police were notified by staff at John W. North High School on March 2 that several campus HVAC systems were damaged and stripped of materials. Officers began an investigation and, through surveillance footage, identified the suspects and their vehicle.

According to police, nine schools within the Riverside Unified School District had been targeted in similar incidents over two months, leading to over $130,000 in damages.

Hernandez and Zaragoza were taken into custody by police, and their vehicle was also seized, where additional evidence was seized.

Bail for each suspect was set at $80,000, and both were released on bail.

Anyone with information about this investigation is urged to contact School Resource Officer F. Madrigal at (951) 236-4943.

Julie Sharp

Julie Sharp is a digital producer at CBS Los Angeles. She is a South Bay native and majored in print journalism at Cal State University Long Beach. Julie previously reported for the Beach Reporter, contributed to the Palos Verdes Pulse and worked as a video journalist for CBS News before joining the CBS News Los Angeles website team.