MIRAMAR, Fla. – A Seminole man was arrested last week after police said he was responsible for a fiery hit-and-run crash that killed a man in September.
Joel Osceola Arroyo, 21, faces multiple charges, including vehicular homicide and leaving the scene of a deadly crash.
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According to the arrest report, Osceola Arroyo was driving recklessly along Miramar Parkway around 2 a.m. on Sept. 16 when he sideswiped another car driven by 26-year-old Antonio Javier Gort. The impact of the crash sent Gort's car into a median, causing it to burst into flames.
Miramar police said Osceola Arroyo's car struck a tree and eventually came to stop in the middle of the parkway, but he and his passengers were not seriously hurt. As Gort burned to death, Osceola Arroyo and the front seat passenger removed the tag from their car and gathered their belongings and fled on foot, the report said.
Police later determined that Osceola Arroyo traveling at nearly 100 mph before the crash. The posted speed limit is 40 mph.
A third passenger who was passed out in the back seat after drinking also left the vehicle but ran toward Gort's car, but he told police that flames were too hot for him to do anything. When he returned to Osceola Arroyo's car, both his traveling companions had fled.
The back seat passenger told police that Osceola Arroyo was a "scary dude" and had only just met him that day with his cousin.
The back seat passenger was able to positively identify Osceola Arroyo from a photo lineup.
Osceola Arroyo is currently being held on more than $500,000 bond at Broward County's Main Jail in Fort Lauderdale.