Background: Legoland in Carlsbad, Calif. (Google Maps). Inset: Jason Marchesano (Yavapai Silent Witness).
An Arizona man was arrested at a kids” theme park after police said he tried to strangle his girlfriend.
Jason Marchesano, 46, was taken into custody on May 27 on charges of attempted second-degree homicide, kidnapping, and aggravated assault in connection with an alleged attack on his girlfriend. According to the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office, Marchesano “strangled and restrained” his girlfriend with bed sheets in a trailer home on Oct. 28, 2025, and left her there. She was able to escape and contact authorities, while Marchesano fled the state.
Months later, police in Carlsbad, California, found him at the Legoland theme park and arrested him.
According to Yavapai Silent Witness, a local organization that works with Arizona law enforcement agencies, Marchesano had prior convictions for domestic violence and was violating his probation. Before he was tracked down to Legoland, a national warrant had been issued for his arrest.
The Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office said it worked with agencies across Arizona and in Nevada before obtaining information that Marchesano was in California. Police said they received a tip from the community that led them to Marchesano’s whereabouts.
When police spoke to Marchesano’s girlfriend following her escape, they observed bruising on her that was consistent with her account of events. Police said property owners near the trailer in Paulden, Arizona, confirmed that they heard an argument coming from the home.
Online court records showed a long history of cases connected with Marchesano, including convictions for aggravated assault, disorderly conduct, aggravated harassment, and aggravated assault while the victim was bound or restrained.
Marchesano is currently in custody at the Vista Detention Facility in Vista, California, where he is being housed as a fugitive.
