What started as a quiet Friday morning in Mountain View turned tense on May 1 as Hawaiʻi Island police flooded a Fern Acres property looking for a man they say is armed and dangerous. Officers searched a home on Plumeria Street for 41-year-old Jason Anthony Magdaleno, who is wanted on two outstanding arrest warrants, but left without making an arrest. The department says Magdaleno remains at large and is asking anyone with information to speak up.
Search Warrant Executed in Fern Acres
According to a May 2 press release from the Hawaiʻi Police Department, members of the Area I Criminal Investigation Division and Vice Division, assisted by the Special Response Team, executed a search warrant at the Plumeria Street property on the morning of May 1. Officers carried out extensive searches of the residence and surrounding yards but did not find Magdaleno. Police identified him as a 41-year-old man wanted on two arrest warrants with bail totaling $10,000.
Roads Restricted During Operation
As officers worked the scene, access to Plumeria Street between Orchid and Gardenia streets was restricted for several hours as a precaution, Big Island Now reported. The roadway reopened that evening after the search wrapped up. The outlet reported that Hawaiʻi Police Department officials thanked the public for its cooperation once the area was cleared. There were no reports of injuries or arrests during the operation.
How To Report Tips
The Hawaiʻi Police Department is asking anyone who knows where Magdaleno might be to call the department's non-emergency line at (808) 935-3311, or contact Detective Bryson Pilor at (808) 961-8222 or [email protected]. Those who prefer to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at (808) 961-8300, where callers may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000. Police also note that anyone who knowingly helps a suspect avoid arrest or prosecution could be arrested for first-degree hindering prosecution, a Class C felony.
Neighborhood Context
Fern Acres, a rural subdivision in Puna, has seen more than its share of flashing lights and roadblocks in recent years. A March 2025 incident there sparked a multi-agency search after a fatal shooting, according to West Hawaii Today. More recently, Area I detectives and Special Response Team officers have been back in the Mountain View area executing warrants and searches tied to islandwide efforts to locate people with outstanding warrants, Big Island Now reported. Investigators say tips from neighbors are a key tool in these rural searches, where finding a single suspect can mean combing through acres of property, outbuildings and thick vegetation on foot.
