Man speaks to Local 10 News after girlfriend leaves him clinging to hood of car

Patresha Isidore arrested after driving on I-95 with Junior Francis on hood

LAUDERHILL, Fla. – A 24-year-old woman was arrested Sunday after she drove onto Interstate 95 with her ex-boyfriend riding on the hood of her car, authorities said.

Patresha Isidore, who was arrested by Lauderhill police on a charge of crimes against a person exposing them to harm, has since been released from jail.

Her on-again, off-again boyfriend, Junior Francis, 22, told Local 10 News reporter Alex Finnie on Wednesday that he was the man on top of the car.

Francis said the couple has a complicated relationship and share a 5-year-old daughter.

He said he and Isidore both needed the car, which they both own, Sunday night, but Isidore beat him to it. He said he jumped on the hood of the car outside their Lauderhill home to keep Isidore from leaving. 

"She turned the engine on, dropped it in reverse and turned," Francis said. "That's when things took a turn."

Police said Isidore needed the former couple's Mercedes-Benz C300 to pick up their daughter from a relative's home.  

Daniel Midah, who recorded the incident Sunday evening, told Local 10 News that the woman and man appeared to be speaking on their cellphones with each other during the ride.

He said the car was hitting speeds of about 70 mph.

"All I was thinking is, this guy is going to slide off and hit me, slide off the other side or if anything, he is going to slide down and she is going to hit him, and then she is going to crash into somebody else," Midah said.  

Francis told Finnie he was actually on the phone with police as his ex-girlfriend drove them from Broward to Miami-Dade County and back. 

"I actually held on like this," Francis demonstrated. "It was with one hand, and (with) the other hand I'm on the phone, listening to hear what is going on with authorities."

Authorities released 911 calls from the incident Wednesday, including the call from Francis in which he can be heard repeatedly yelling at Isidore to stop the vehicle.

"She's swerving the car and I'm on top of the car. I really need help," Francis told the dispatcher. 

Francis said Isidore finally exited onto Ives Dairy Road. That's when other drivers noticed what was going on. He said they tried to intervene, but to no avail.

"The whole fact is I'm still on the car," Francis said. 

Francis said things finally came to an end in West Park after he was able to take the key out of the ignition.

According to Isidore's arrest report, Francis told police he did not want to press charges against his daughter's mother and refused to provide a sworn recorded statement.

Francis told Local 10 News the whole thing still has him shaking and he never thought a scenario like this would happen.

"This woman is going to kill me," Francis said. "She's really out to kill me."


About the Authors:

Alex Finnie joined the Local 10 News team in May 2018. South Florida is home! She was raised in Miami and attended the Cushman School and New World School of the Arts for high school.

Amanda Batchelor is the Digital Executive Producer for Local10.com.