WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — A 52-year-old man working as a Lyft driver reported he had picked up a 35-year-old man in Broward County to drive him to Jacksonville. He thought it was a good job, but it turned out to be a nightmare.
There was a carjacking, a short chase, and a crash on March 4, according to a Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office deputy’s arrest report. Court records showed the criminal case was pending on Friday, and the Lyft driver, Miguel Molina, was desperate for help.
“I lost my job 4 months ago after working for a family-owned dealership for 5 years,” Molina wrote on GoFundMe. “Getting another job at my age is hard; not everyone wants to give the opportunity.”
Declan Murphy’s Lyft ride was from 1085 Hillsboro Mile, in Hillsboro Beach, to 1036 Dunn Ave., in Jacksonville’s Highlands area, and he stole Molina’s 2017 gray Honda CRV in West Palm Beach, according to deputies.
"Like any other day, I was creating a safe and comfortable ride for the rider when he hijacked my car," Molina wrote.
Molina told deputies that he had asked his 26-year-old stepson, Raymond Pagan, to meet him at the Marathon gas station, at 1840 Palm Beach Lakes Boulevard, once Murphy agreed they could travel together, according to deputies.
Molina “went inside the store to prepay for gas” and was “returning to the pump area” when he saw Murphy, of Pompano Beach, get in the Honda’s driver’s seat, according to deputies.
Molina “ran to the driver’s side door ... struck the window,” and fell when Murphy stepped on the gas, nearly running him over, according to deputies.
Pagan had driven to the gas station, so Molina jumped in his car, and they chased Murphy eastbound on Palm Beach Lakes Boulevard for nearly two miles, while on the phone with a 911 dispatcher, according to deputies.
Murphy crashed at Palm Beach Lakes Boulevard and Tamarind Avenue, according to deputies. Pagan told reporters he ran after Murphy and tackled him in the parking lot of Hook Fish & Chicken at 1001 Palm Beach Lakes Boulevard.
“It is not the fact that my car got stolen, or the person who stole it, but what was keeping me afloat, and helping me get through the days, got taken away from me in seconds,” Molina wrote.
Palm Beach County court records show prosecutors filed a case against Murphy on March 5 on a felony charge of grand theft with damage of over $1,000. Palm Beach County Circuit Judge Sarah Willis is presiding over the case.
“I have no transportation, no luck in anyone willing to give me the chance to prove my skills at a job, and just hoping in what comes next,” Molina wrote. “All I ask is for help, any donation to continue paying my bills for now, to buy myself a plate of food. Even an opportunity at any job. Anything helps.”
Copyright 2026 by WPLG Local10.com - All rights reserved.
