Rivera was booked as an accessory after the Carlsbad hit-and-run.

An arrest for accessory after the fact and a false report is an accusation. It is not a conviction. On Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2026, Carlsbad police arrested Rivera, 23, of Carlsbad, on suspicion of being an accessory after the fact and making a false report of a crime to law enforcement. Investigators say she helped the driver after a Sept. 15 fatal hit-and-run on Carlsbad Boulevard, tried to report his car as stolen, and was booked into the Vista Detention Facility.

The crash killed Vanessa Wheyland, 45, a mother of three, on Sept. 15, 2026, while she was crossing at Carlsbad Boulevard and Redwood Avenue, as NBC 7 San Diego reported. Fernando Cruz Saldana, also identified as Fernando Saldana, 26, of Escondido, is accused of hitting her with his vehicle. He has pleaded not guilty to murder, gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, DUI, hit-and-run, and driving on a suspended license. Those counts against him are a separate accusation. They are not a finding against Rivera.

Investigators say Rivera provided assistance to Saldana after the hit-and-run and attempted to report the vehicle as stolen to the Carlsbad Police Department. The Carlsbad Police Department account, as 10News reported it, is that the investigation remains ongoing. A booking and an open investigation are process. They are not a guilty finding. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.