Family of man stabbed to death while charging his car outside California library seeks $40 million from city

DOWNEY, Calif. (TCN) -- A 68-year-old man was stabbed to death outside a library while charging his car in September 2025, and his family is seeking $40 million from the city where it happened.

CBS News reports Reinaldo Lefonts was charging his Tesla outside the public library in Downey, California, on Sept. 13, 2025, when he was stabbed. Authorities began searching the area for the stabbing suspect, but as Lefonts was about to be loaded into an ambulance, another man — unrelated to the first suspect — allegedly got into the ambulance and stole it. Police pursued the stolen ambulance for approximately 15 miles before it crashed.

The New York Post reported at the time that Lefonts was pronounced dead at the scene. Witnesses saw the stabbing occur by the electric vehicle charging station.

The suspect in the stabbing, 23-year-old Giovanni Navarro, and the suspect in the ambulance theft, 52-year-old Nicholas DeMarco, were both arrested. The New York Post reports Navarro, who has a lengthy criminal history spanning 28 convictions, was charged with murder. CBS News reports both suspects were homeless at the time. 

According to CBS News, Lefonts’ family filed a $40 million wrongful death claim against the city of Downey on March 6 because they believe the ambulance chase took time away from the paramedics who could have saved his life. They also claim the area surrounding the library was unsafe.

The claim says, “In that moment, every second mattered. The City’s paramedics and rescue vehicle were Reinaldo’s only realistic chance of survival,” according to the New York Post. 

Alex Galindo, the attorney representing Lefonts’ family, said, “The paramedics couldn’t transport him to the hospital because the vehicle was stolen by another homeless man. You can’t even write this stuff. I mean, it was just so outrageous and so ridiculous for this to happen.”

In addition, the claim argues the ambulance did not have an anti-theft locking device installed and such devices are required under state law, according to People.

Lefonts had retired a few months before he was stabbed, according to the New York Post. He had worked as a lab tech at the University of California in Irvine and enjoyed spending time with family members.

According to CBS News, officials from the city of Downey have 45 days to respond to the tort claim, and if no one responds, an official lawsuit will be filed.

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