How a cab driver in Little Saigon became caught in a real-life prison escape

In 2016, an elderly Vietnamese cab driver in Orange County’s Little Saigon accepted a late-night fare. He was tired. It was late. But he needed the extra money.

Minutes later, his life took an unexpected turn.

The three men who got into his car weren’t just passengers. They were fugitives.

Fresh off an escape from Orange County Jail, the men were armed and on the run. They didn’t ask Long Ma where he was going. They told him.

At gunpoint, he became their accidental getaway driver.

This wasn’t a high-speed chase. There were no helicopters or explosions.

Instead, Long was held hostage for days inside a rundown motel in Santa Ana, just miles from Little Saigon. The three fugitives kept him under watch, debating their next move while law enforcement launched a massive manhunt across California.

For Long, fear was nothing new.

A refugee from the Vietnam War, he had survived re-education camps and the challenges of starting over in America. Now, decades later, he found himself trapped once again—this time with three criminals who saw him as expendable.

The 2016 Orange County jail escape was widely covered in the news. Inmates Hossein Nayeri, Jonathan Tieu, and Bac Duong spent months planning their breakout, cutting through steel bars, crawling through plumbing tunnels, and rappelling down four stories with makeshift ropes. Once outside, they hijacked Long Ma’s taxi and held him hostage.

Now, nearly a decade later, this true story is being told in The Accidental Getaway Driver, directed by Sing J. Lee and starring Dustin Nguyen (Warrior, Blade of the 47 Ronin).

Rather than focusing on the mechanics of the escape, the film looks at what unfolded between Long Ma and the captors—the power dynamics, the tension, and the isolation felt by both. It’s a story about survival, resilience, and the quiet human moments that unfold in extraordinary circumstances.

Lee, inspired by Hong Kong New Wave and Taiwanese New Cinema, brings a distinct visual style to the film. The pacing is deliberate, emphasizing emotions over action.

The Accidental Getaway Driver premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the U.S. Dramatic Directing Award for Lee’s haunting and introspective storytelling. The film has been praised for its cinematography and ability to transform a real-life crime into something deeply personal.

The Accidental Getaway Driver will open at select AMC theaters in Los Angeles (CA), New York (NY), and Orange County (CA) on February 28, and will expand to more theaters nationwide on March 7.

🎟️ For more details and to watch the official trailer, visit: https://theaccidentalgetawaydriver.official.film/