On July 4, 1999, two teen friends met two men, Matthew Kozlowski and Donald Gatson, at an apartment in Fremont during the evening hours. All four people got into one friend's vehicle and drove to a parking lot in Fremont to meet with another person. While all four were waiting in the vehicle in the parking lot, Kozlowski brandished a knife, and Gatson produced a black firearm. The men ordered the victim to drive them to a convenience store in the area of Mission Boulevard and Niles Boulevard. While driving, Kozlowski bound the passenger victim's hands with black electrical tape. After they arrived at the convenience store, Kozlowski used the victim's ATM card to withdraw money. Kozlowski then ordered the victim to drive east on Niles Canyon Road to Palomares Road, where they eventually pulled over on Palomares Road. It was here that Kozlowski and Gatson began their attack on the two victims. Kozlowski stabbed the driver victim in the arm and chest area, and Gatson shot the passenger victim in the face. Gatson then pulled the driver victim out of the car and onto the ground, where he stabbed her repeatedly and ultimately slashed her throat. Gatson also slashed the throat of the passenger victim. Kozlowski and Gatson then fled the scene in the victim's vehicle. Both victims were left in a ditch on the side of the road with severe, life-threatening injuries. The victims remained in the ditch all night. At sunrise, the driver victim began throwing sticks up on the roadway to try to get the attention of passersby. Eventually, the sticks caught the attention of two bicyclists, who called 9-1-1. The victims were transported to an area trauma hospital for treatment. Both victims ultimately survived their injuries.
Kozlowski and Gatson were later identified as the suspects, and Fremont Officers began looking for both suspects. On July 6, 1999, a patrol officer saw a taxi pulled over at the end of a street in Fremont and witnessed a man flee on foot. The other occupant of the vehicle remained inside the taxi. It was soon learned the occupant of the vehicle was Matthew Kozlowski, and he was quickly arrested. The following day, Gatson was arrested in San Francisco.
Kozlowski and Gatson were ultimately convicted of two counts each of robbery, attempted murder, and kidnapping for purposes of extortion, as well as a single count of carjacking.
Kozlowski and Gatson were sentenced to four consecutive life terms, two without the possibility of parole and two with the possibility of parole. Kozlowski died in prison in 2016 at the age of thirty-five. Gatson remains incarcerated at Corcoran State Prison. He is forty-eight years old.
In March 2024, the driver victim contacted the Fremont Police Department, wanting more information about where this tragic incident occurred. She was provided with the mile marker number of the location of the attack. On July 4, 2024, exactly twenty-five years after the incident occurred, the victim returned to the location of the crime. Her intent in returning was to gain closure to what happened to her. At this time, the victim asked if she could meet some of the Fremont Police Officers who assisted with her investigation. On February 8, 2025, two retired Fremont Police Officers who assisted with the investigation met with the victim. They spoke for nearly three hours, talking about the events of that evening. The victim said she had so many questions answered by the end of their time together.
The Fremont Police Department asked the victim's permission to share her story of survival, and she readily agreed. She said, "You can survive. I am a survivor. You can come out stronger. "The victim says she knows police departments use the term "victim," but she refers to herself as a survivor.
Included in this message is a photo of the incident location as it appears in 2025 (mile marker number was removed).
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