‘Terrifying’: Tourists claim they were accosted on the popular road to Hana
KITV, EAST MAUI TARO FESTIVAL, CNN
By ‘A’ali’i Dukelow
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MAUI, Hawaii (KITV) — The Freet family of New York has a lasting impression of the road to Hana, not because of its striking views, but because of a reported run-in with two men they believe are area residents.
“It was terrifying,” Jonathan Freet said, recounting the moments he, his wife Christin, and two children had an unexpected encounter with two men on their way out of Hana Tuesday afternoon.
“(The men were) telling us to get out of there, they don’t need tourists,” Jonathan recalled.
According to the couple, the men tried to cut them off several times.
“We were going back and forth, every time I tried to turn around they chased me telling us to get out of the car,” Jonathan shared.
Christin added, “they (the men) said, ‘we’re going to kill you, get out of the car, you’re not getting away from us, you’re dead.”
The couple claimed they were able to eventually drive away and reported the incident to Maui police, adding they were surprised because they were driving carefully.
“I think people need to be more aware, ” Christin added.
But besides the incident they reported, Christin said, “we’ve met so many nice local people and so many nice people at our hotel and we really enjoy supporting small local businesses.”
The couple described one of the men as in his late teens or early twenties and the other as in his 40s or 50s, heavy set with a beard and long hair, driving a smaller white SUV.
Some East Maui residents created a code of conduct to guide both residents and visitors who plan to travel on the often crowded road to Hana, in which they do not condone harassment or violence.
“It can get really frustrating with the congestion and illegal parking happening on the roadway and then also it’s safety hazards, so I can understand the residents’ frustration, but also this is safey hazards that we need to address,” East Maui resident Kamalani Pahukoa said.
If you have any information on this incident, contact the Maui police department .
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