Homeless man with photographic memory saw a van that looked oddly familiar — one call turned his life around

A man living on the streets of San Francisco made a single observation that ended a statewide manhunt and changed his own life forever. Back in 2016, Matthew Hay-Chapman, who was homeless at the time, was walking near a Whole Foods in the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood when he spotted a white GMC van parked outside. According to ABC News, it looked exactly like the one he’d seen in the newspaper — a van linked to three inmates who had escaped from Orange County’s Central Men’s Jail. Hay-Chapman spoke exclusively with Scoop Upworthy about his brave endeavor. Despite the praise he’s received for helping capture the fugitives, Hay-Chapman remains humble about his role in the case. "I am no hero or guardian angel or life saver or good Samaritan. I was just doing the right thing," he said.

His recall was instant, the kind of recognition that scientists call visual recognition memory — the brain’s ability to identify familiar objects in complex environments. A study published in the Journal of Neuroscience found that our brains are wired to spot what stands out from the ordinary, distinguishing the familiar even amid noise and distraction. That mechanism may explain how Hay-Chapman, in the middle of a busy city street, could match the van to an image he’d seen days earlier and immediately know what to do. In an exclusive interview with Scoop Upworthy, Hay-Chapman said he can "vividly recall that day like it is today."

He shared, "I’m a news junkie and had been following the reports about the escaped fugitives. I was standing right in front of the newspaper vending machines when I noticed the van parked there. It matched exactly what I had seen in the news reports. My photographic memory told me right away it was him. Plus, it was the same make and model of a van I used years ago when I worked as a locksmith." 

Carrie Braun, a spokeswoman for the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, added, "He followed him inside, confirmed it was him, ran out a side door, and flagged down a passing patrol car." That quick decision led police to capture Hossein Nayeri and Jonathan Tieu within minutes. The third fugitive, Bac Duong, had already turned himself in. For his help, Hay-Chapman was later awarded $100,000 — the largest share of a $150,000 reward set up by the Orange County Board of Supervisors for information leading to the inmates’ capture. County spokeswoman Jean Pasco confirmed that Hay-Chapman would receive the "lion’s share" because his actions directly resulted in the arrests. 

When asked what it felt like to receive the reward, Hay-Chapman said he was "beyond ecstatic." "They gave me two medals and an Orange County Supervisor's lapel pin, and even took me out to an excellent lunch. It was an amazing miracle for me," he told Scoop. After receiving the money, he added that "he just wanted to help my kids and grandkids. They’ve always been my motivation." Two Target employees, manager Hazel Javier and loss prevention officer Jeffrey Arana, were also recognized for spotting suspicious activity on store surveillance footage and calling the police. They each received $15,000. Armando Damian, whose van had been stolen by the escapees, received $20,000 after reporting it missing to authorities.

When asked when he first realized he had photographic memory, Hay-Chapman said, "When I was about seven years old, I flunked second grade. I was made fun of and mocked by my former classmates and my own brothers. My dear mother encouraged me to read, so I started looking at all the illustrations in the Webster’s Dictionary and the Britannica volumes we had. I learned by studying pictures to help myself adapt, since I had a reading and comprehension deficit." 

Carrie Braun explained that the Board of Supervisors divided the reward based on which tips provided "actionable intelligence" that led to the arrests. "The police department provided the board with information about what helped them locate the inmates," she said. In addition to the county reward, another $50,000 from federal agencies — $30,000 from the FBI and $20,000 from the U.S. Marshals Service — was still pending at the time, with distribution yet to be determined. For Hay-Chapman, the reward was life-changing. Once without a home, he suddenly had the means to rebuild.

 As for his dreams and what came next, Hay-Chapman said, "My goal in life was to be a United States Air Force fighter pilot like my dad. To be a good man, have a great family like the one I was raised in, and to help others — even friends and family close to me."

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