Following a hit-and-run accident Friday morning that left two persons dead and temporarily closed all southbound lanes on Interstate 95 in Palm Bay, the Florida Highway Patrol reports that troopers have detained a suspect.
According to troopers, the collision happened around mile marker 172 (next to Malabar Road) at approximately 9:50 a.m. By noon or so, FHP reported that all lanes were reopened.
The two fatalities were declared dead at the site, according to an FHP crash report. The report identifies them as a 41-year-old man from Deltona and a 22-year-old male from Enterprise, both of whom were surveyors.
Shortly after striking a pickup truck parked on the shoulder, officers said that a 2021 Freightliner Cascadia sped off the road to the right and struck the males who were walking on the right grassy shoulder of southbound I-95.
After the semi-truck was driven off the site, a search was conducted, and the Freightliner was found in Palm Beach County on I-95 at mile marker 45, according to FHP.
After noon on Friday, troopers reported that they had a suspect under arrest and described it as “a very active criminal investigation.” Hassan Abdirahman Sheikh Ali, 36, of Charlotte, North Carolina, was taken into custody. He is being charged with two counts of hit-and-run involving death.
Additionally, troopers report that a passenger in the pickup vehicle stayed at the site and was unharmed in the collision.
