Mother of road rage shooting victim: 'I know he's in heaven'

Jesse Celaya had a close relationship with his mother, Sandra Vargas. (Photo courtesy of Sandra Vargas)

By Doug Spoon, Editor

A Menifee woman who is the mother of the victim in Monday’s fatal road rage shooting described her son as someone who was "very loving and funny. He loved to travel. He had a lot of friends.”

In an interview on Thursday with Menifee 24/7, Sandra Vargas said her son Jesse Celaya was a religious person, which “gives me confirmation that he is in heaven.”

Celaya, 36, is being remembered this week in social media postings by those who loved him and are morning his death -- even as family members, friends, and police investigators wonder exactly what happened that night.

Only one person knows the answer to that. Ryan Dabe, age 47 and a resident of Menifee, faces a murder charge after he allegedly shot Celaya in his jeep from Dabe’s white pickup truck at the intersection of Scott Road and Haun/Zeiders Road at about 9:30 Monday night.

Dabe, who drove across the Scott Road bridge before pulling over and waiting to surrender to police at Antelope Road, was booked into the Southwest Detention Center with bail set at $1 million, but he was released on bail the next day. He faces an Aug. 26 court date in Murrieta.

Investigators’ initial release of information stated that the incident began somewhere near the 15 Freeway and Bundy Canyon Road in Wildomar. Vargas said this is confirmed by Celaya’s friend, who told her he spoke by phone with Celaya from that location as they made plans to meet in Corona.

Celaya, who grew up in Chino Hills, lived in Fontana and was on his way home from a day spent working his job as a salesman of chiropractic equipment in Orange County, Vargas said. According to Celaya’s friend, the two agreed to meet in Corona for dinner before Celaya headed home. But Celaya also told the friend he needed to stop in Murrieta for a service call on medical equipment.

The dinner date was for 8 p.m. Celaya never showed up.

“He stopped at Popeye’s Chicken (on Bundy Canyon off the 15 Freeway) and called his friend to say, ‘I’m on my way,’” Vargas said. “Something happened over there.”

Investigators believe that something led to a chase eastbound on Bundy Canyon, which narrows into a winding, two-lane road east of the freeway. That stretch of road is notorious for speeding and accidents. There is speculation that there was a vehicle chase along Bundy Canyon until it widened to two lanes at Haun/Zeiders Road, where the vehicles pulled alongside each other and the shooting occurred.

Vargas said she received a call from a man who said his wife came upon Celaya’s jeep at the intersection and saw Celaya standing on Haun Road, obviously seriously injured. The woman stayed with Celaya until paramedics arrived. He was transported to Inland Valley Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 3 a.m.

Vargas said she knows the dangers of driving on Bundy Canyon Road, especially at night. She works the night shift at a job in Los Angeles and doesn’t head home until 10:30 p.m., usually arriving home about midnight after a nerve-wracking drive along Bundy Canyon. That night, she avoided Bundy Canyon Road after being warned on social media about a closure at Scott Road. She ended up on Newport Road, then drove south on Antelope Road to Scott Road and passed Dabe’s white truck, still parked in front of a gas station at Scott and Antelope with the door open and police guarding the site.

Vargas fell asleep wondering what happened at that intersection. About 3 a.m., she heard a knock on her door. It was her ex-husband, who told her their son had been killed.

“I hate driving on Bundy Canyon because at night, it’s very dangerous,” Vargas said. “People go 100 mph, big trucks and speeding cars. I hate when they get on your tail. People are saying maybe Jesse was trying to get to my house because he was afraid for his life. I just don’t know.

Vargas said she can't believe Celaya would've instigated the confrontation, but she acknowledges she may never know.

“My son’s a big guy," she said. "I don’t think Jesse would do something like that, but if he has to protect himself, he will. He’s like a bouncer, he’s that big. Maybe my son cut (Dabe) off by accident or he cut my son off; I don’t know.”

The family has scheduled a vigil for Saturday at 8 p.m. at the intersection of Scott and Haun Road, where the shooting occurred. The public is invited. Vargas said Celaya will be buried at Forest Lawn Covina Hills, where his younger sister Cassandra is buried. She died in a tragic accident in 2002, Vargas said.

Jesse is survived by his father, Jesse A. Celaya, mother Sandra Vargas, and brothers Jonathan, Mariano, and Xavier. A GoFundMe site has been set up to assist the family. To access that site, click here.