18-year-old arrested in fatal I-75 hit-and-run crash caught on video, FHP says
The driver who fled the scene after causing a fatal crash on Interstate 75 early Monday morning has been arrested, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
Troopers say Jonathan Matos Morales, an 18-year-old from Cocoa, Florida, was behind the wheel of a 2022 Ford Mustang that dashboard camera footage showed weaving through lanes on the highway before causing a crash that overturned a tractor-trailer, killing its driver.
The crash happened around 6:28 a.m. Monday when troopers say Morales crashed into a Chevy Trailblazer driven by a 63-year-old Palmetto man that then crashed into the cab of the tractor-trailer, which landed on its side in front of Morales’ Mustang.
The tractor-trailer driver, a 34-year-old New Smyrna man, died in the collision, and the Palmetto man sustained minor injuries, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
The Mustang briefly came to a stop before driving around the tractor-trailer and using the grass alongside the interstate to flee the scene, video footage of the crash shows.
All southbound lanes of I-75 were closed after the crash, snaring local traffic for hours.
Troopers arrested Morales on charges of vehicular homicide and leaving the scene of a crash involving death and impounded his Mustang late Monday, according to a news release. As of Tuesday morning, he is being held without bond at the Manatee County Jail.
The Florida Highway Patrol says the crash remains under investigation.
This story was originally published April 21, 2026 at 10:33 AM.
