Brother of Rams’ receiver Puka Nacua did not steal Laker Adou Thiero’s BMW

The arrest of the older brother of Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua and another man, initially suspected of taking Laker rookie Adou Thiero’s BMW, in December 2025 stemmed from a misunderstanding, according to the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department.

Samson Nacua, 27, took the SUV from a valet believing the car was his brother’s, investigators said. His brother, Rams player Puka Nacua, owns a BMW of the same model and color as Thiero’s, just a year or two older, an investigator said.

Trey Rose, 27, who was also arrested, met Samson Nacua at another location and got in the car, also not knowing the car belonged to someone else, according to a sheriff’s detective who declined to be named.

Thiero had flagged down law enforcement, indicating that his car had been taken and he was tracking it on an app, which showed it pinging on Sunset Boulevard.

Nacua and Rose were arrested on suspicion of taking a vehicle without the owner’s consent and released in December, the sheriff’s department said, and have now cleared up the misunderstanding through interviews with the sheriff’s department.

It was not known how Nacua got the wrong vehicle from the valet.

The victim does not want to prosecute and the sheriff’s department submitted the case to the Los Angeles district attorney’s office for rejection, the detective said.