Many people have asked that question in the aftermath of a fatal collision Saturday that took the life of Rodas and his passenger, actor Paul Walker of the “Fast & Furious” movie franchise.
Rodas was unofficially identified as the driver of the 2005 Porsche Carrera GT that burst into flames when it crashed in the Valencia Industrial Center.
A native of El Salvador, Rodas was born Oct. 31, 1975, , according to his World Challenge profile, so he had just turned 38. He lived in Valencia.
He was a respected wealth adviser who worked for Bank of America/Merrill Lynch for more than 20 years. According to his LinkedIn profile, his latest position was managing director, and Barron’s recognized him as one of “America’s Top 1,000 Advisors” in 2010, 2011 and 2012.
When Rodas was not working in the office, he was racing or spending time with his family. He leaves behind a wife and two children, according to CNN, which reported that his young son was one of the first at the scene.
“I knew his son was heading toward the accident,” car enthusiast Jim Throp told CNN. “And he got past me because he knew there was a fire and he wanted to see it. But he didn’t know it was his dad until he saw the car.”
Rodas and Walker shared similar interests. According to a Merrill Lynch article, Walker attended an auto race in California when he noticed Rodas driving a Porsche GT3 that he had previously owned. They got to talking, and in 2007 Rodas became Walker’s financial adviser. Then they became friends, race partners and business partners, and they supported charities together.
CNN reports that Rodas’ passion for racing led him to become CEO of Always Evolving, a high-end car shop owned by Walker in Valencia, near the crash scene.
Meanwhile, Rodas continued to own a recycling plant in Central America called Cielo Recycling.
Both Rodas and Walker raced for the Always Evolving (AE) team, among others listed on the company’s website.
They raced alongside each other during the 25 Hours of Thunderhill and the Pirelli World Challenge Series, according to USA Today.
Rodas participated in the Pirelli World Challenge Series GTS series earlier this year and placed second in the Pirelli Porsche Drivers Series Championship race in 2012. Overall, he has competed in many amateur races has two first-place wins and six podium finishes, and he was the runner up in the Driver’s Point Championship.
“Paul said that what he saved in expenses covered all of his racing costs last year,” Rodas said in a Merrill Lynch publication.
Rodas and Walker were driven even closer together through charity work.
According to CNN, Rodas operated his own charity in support of widows and orphans in El Salvador. He also supported the Asomugha Foundation, a charity established in 2010 to help disadvantaged American youth and underprivileged children and widows in Africa.
He helped set up the financial structure needed for Walker to establish his own charity, Reach Out WorldWide, which provides on-the-ground disaster relief.
“Becoming a foundation means it can accept donations, which in turn allows Paul to scale up his philanthropy,” Rodas wrote in a Merrill Lynch article.
Rodas and Walker were finishing up a toy drive for ROWW just prior to Saturday’s collision.
Rodas was also the owner of Cielo Recycling, a Central American recycling plant.
Porsche attorneys are saying that the 2013 crash, that killed “Fast and the Furious” actor Paul Walker and his friend Roger Rodas, was caused by Rodas and not defects with the car, according to NBC Los Angeles reports.
[KHTS] - Evidence in the fatal Paul Walker-Roger Rodas crash Nov. 30 was discussed in meetings between Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff's Station deputies and Porsche officials this week, a crash investigator confirmed Thursday. The meetings took place on Tuesday and Wednesday, according to a source close to the investigation on…
By Allison Pari and Perry Smith [KHTS] - Actor Paul Walker and racecar driver Roger Rodas have been confirmed as the two people involved in the fatal, solo-car crash Saturday afternoon in Valencia. Rodas was also confirmed as the driver of the 2005 Porsche Carrera GT that collided with…
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Jeanina, Thank you for providing information on Roger Rodas, who seems to be another fine man that will be missed from this earth. Thank you for not allowing his life to be lost in the glow of Paul Walker’s fame and well-lived life. It is interesting to note to our local kids who race in this area regularly that the choice to speed here was clearly misguided and deadly, even though these were experienced race car drivers. Yet, let us noot pass judgment as we do not know, without being in their car, what went on right before the accident. A comforting reminder we draw from Psalm 139:16 “You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.” Friends, this includes the moment of the crash.
The Music Center has announced 14 rising stars from across Southern California as the Grand Prize winners in its 37th Annual Spotlight program. Elina Ghosh, 15, a 10th-grade student from West Ranch High School in Stevenson Ranch has been named a Grand Prize winner in Non-Classical Voice.
In response to the growing public health emergency at the Chiquita Canyon Landfill fire, Assemblywoman Pilar Schiavo (D-Chatsworth), and 30 members of the State Legislature sent a formal letter to Governor Gavin Newsom on Wednesday, April 23, requesting immediate support for residents impacted by toxic emissions from the landfill.
The Music Center has announced 14 rising stars from across Southern California as the Grand Prize winners in its 37th Annual Spotlight program. Elina Ghosh, 15, a 10th-grade student from West Ranch High School in Stevenson Ranch has been named a Grand Prize winner in Non-Classical Voice.
With housing costs taking up as much as 50% of the median income in some states, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on the States Where People Spend the Most & Least on Housing to highlight where owning a home is unaffordable for the average person.
In response to the growing public health emergency at the Chiquita Canyon Landfill fire, Assemblywoman Pilar Schiavo (D-Chatsworth), and 30 members of the State Legislature sent a formal letter to Governor Gavin Newsom on Wednesday, April 23, requesting immediate support for residents impacted by toxic emissions from the landfill.
The William S Hart Pony Baseball Complex will be the site of a fun, nostalgic and free photo shoot on Sunday, May 4, beginning at 5:30 p.m. Local high school baseball players from the graduating class of 2025 are encouraged to attend in their high school home uniforms and pose for group photos.
The Summer Academic Program for Elementary School Students is accepting applications for summer 2025. The five-week program, divided into different weekly themes, gives elementary students in grades one through five, an opportunity to be in a creative learning environment
The city of Santa Clarita Film Office has released the list of 11 productions filming in the Santa Clarita Valley for the week of Monday, April 21 to Saturday, April 26.
For the second year in a row, The Master's University men's volleyball team will be the No. 1 seed at the NAIA National Championships. The competition will run April 29 to May 3 at Alliant Energy PowerHouse in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Time is running out for tickets and sponsorships for this year's Silver Spur celebration, which will honor Marlee Lauffer with the 2025 Silver Spur Community Service Award in recognition of her longtime support of College of the Canyons and her philanthropic contributions to the Santa Clarita Valley.
Ticketing will be closing April 24 for the 2025 Santa Clarita Valley Man & Woman of the Year Gala Event, which will be held on Friday, May 2. Seating is limited and tickets have sold out for the last two years, so buy now to guarantee your seat at the table.
College of the Canyons track and field compiled some early points and saw a slew of strong performances during the opening meet of the two-day Western State Conference Prelims & Championships, hosted by Ventura College April 18.
SCVTV will debut a new public access series of video fitness shorts, "Training Tuesdays with M" on Tuesday, April 22. The shorts, two-to-four-minute videos, will air between regular programming at 8:24 a.m., 1:25 p.m., 4:24 p.m. and 4:55 p.m.
As gardening season blooms across California, officials with the California Department of Food and Agriculture are urging residents to take action to prevent the introduction of invasive fruit flies and other pests, which can threaten backyard gardens and the state’s robust agricultural landscape.
Legacy Christian Academy, will celebrate its 30th anniversary with a special celebration dinner and fundraiser, 5:30-9 p.m. Friday, April 25 at the Hyatt Regency Valencia.
Activated Events, the premier independent live events company, has announced the lineup for the return of Boots In The Park to Santa Clarita, noon- 10 p.m. Saturday, May 10 at Central Park.
The prestigious Bryan Clay Invitational yielded records upon records for The Master's University track and field teams April 16-18. Multiple school records went down including the women's 5000m, men's shot put and the men's 800m.
For just the third time in 23 matches, The Master's University men's volleyball team went five sets in a match. And for the third time in 23 matches, the team won, only this time it was for the GSAC Tournament Championship.
The Master's University men's and women's golf teams completed the final round of the GSAC Championship Tournament at Antelope Hills Golf Course North Wednesday afternoon, April 16.
Businesses defined as food generators are invited to an Edible Food Recovery Networking event Friday, April 25, from 8:30-10 a.m. at the Canyon Country Jo Anne Darcy Library, 18601 Soledad Canyon Road, Santa Clarita, 91351, CA.
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1 Comment
Jeanina, Thank you for providing information on Roger Rodas, who seems to be another fine man that will be missed from this earth. Thank you for not allowing his life to be lost in the glow of Paul Walker’s fame and well-lived life. It is interesting to note to our local kids who race in this area regularly that the choice to speed here was clearly misguided and deadly, even though these were experienced race car drivers. Yet, let us noot pass judgment as we do not know, without being in their car, what went on right before the accident. A comforting reminder we draw from Psalm 139:16 “You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.” Friends, this includes the moment of the crash.