Search for Ford Mustang driver in Fort Lauderdale Beach tragedy continues

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Fort Lauderdale Police Department detectives continued their search for the driver of a white Ford Mustang on Monday evening. It’s just not the one they had been searching for earlier. They are now looking for a newer model — 2015 to 2017.

Detectives questioned the driver of the 2006 white Ford Mustang with Florida tag JRFQ02 who was suspected of being involved in a hit-and-run crash. They decided the evidence that was left at the scene and the condition of the car showed it wasn’t him.

A white Ford Mustang fled after running over Lynn Hessley about 10:49 p.m. on July 3, police said. They just haven’t identified the one who put a nightmarish end to Hessley’s Fort Lauderdale Beach staycation on State Road A1A near Seville Street.

Hessley, 39, of Tamarac, suffered a head injury and multiple fractures. She remained on life support on Monday evening at the Broward Health Medical Center. Her sister Jennifer Hessley and her best friend Donna Cappello said they haven’t been able to visit her because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic restrictions.

The detectives, Hessley and Cappello are asking anyone with information about the white Ford Mustang that was involved in the hit-and-run crash to call Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-493-8477. There is a $2,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in the case.


About the Authors:

Terrell Forney joined Local 10 News in October 2005 as a general assignment reporter. He was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, but a desire to escape the harsh winters of the north brought him to South Florida.

The Emmy Award-winning journalist joined the Local 10 News team in 2013. She wrote for the Miami Herald for more than 9 years and won a Green Eyeshade Award.