Dozens of mourners gathered Tuesday evening to honor the life of a San Bernardino County sheriff’s deputy who was killed in a crash during a pursuit.
Flowers and candles were placed at the site of the crash where 36-year-old Hector Cuevas Jr. lost his life. He died in the line of duty on Monday while pursuing a driver and ended up crashing near the intersection of Seneca and El Evado Roads in Victorville.
“He was loved by a lot, respected by the community and he was a good guy,” said Pedro Rivera, the fallen deputy’s uncle.
Cuevas is fondly remembered as being a stand-up individual whose death is a deep loss for the community. He is survived by his wife, two young children, his parents and his siblings.
“He was good at everything,” Cuevas’ cousin Laufton Addisons said. “Football coach church, everything he put his mind to, he completed. He was really good guy. This should have never happened to him.”
A 6-year veteran of the force, Cuevas got his start as a police officer. Chief Darren Goodman of the San Bernardino Police Department recalled meeting him during his interview with the Upland Police Department.
Deputy Hector Cuevas Jr. is being remembered as a hero for the Inland Empire community. Christian Cázares reports for the NBC4 News at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, March 18, 2025.
“It was clear that he had a passion for doing the job,” Goodman said. “Talking to him and learning more about his personal background, I understood how committed he had been to community. He’s very involved with his church. He was a young husband and father. He was committed to wanting a viable career to take care of his family.”
Those sentiments were echoed by Cuevas’ family.
“A lot of people were scared of in our family,” Eljay Rivera, Cuevas’ cousin said. “We chose different routes and he chose the best one and he got the farthest and the highest. That’s what I can say. He took the chances we didn’t.”
In response to the fatality, Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered flags at the state capitol to be flown at half-staff.
“I’m just going to miss his love and miss everything I didn’t get to learn from him,” Rivera said.
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