PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — A 38-year-old widower, whose high school sweetheart died of breast cancer last year, was a youth pastor in Broward County when his daughter died after a crash at about 9:50 p.m. on Jan. 17 in Palm Beach County.
Joel Leiniz reported he had attended a church concert with his three daughters before he lost control and crashed his 2017 Audi Q7 into a pole, according to a Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office deputy’s report.
Fire rescue personnel responded to Military Trail near Vicliff Road in Greenacres, and took Leiniz, of Margate, and his three daughters to St. Mary’s Medical Center in West Palm Beach, according to deputies.
Leiniz’s 8-year-old daughter, Zoë, was pronounced dead shortly after 10:45 p.m. at St. Mary’s Medical Center, and his 6-year-old and 12-year-old daughters survived, according to deputies.
The family tragedy was about a week before the girls were set to mark the anniversary of the death of their mother, Sasha Christine Leiniz, who died on Jan. 26, 2025, after the cancer had spread to her brain.
A PBSO detective investigated the cause of the Jan. 17 crash and found Joel Leiniz had a blood alcohol level just slightly above the legal limit of .08 in Florida, records show.
“The toxicology report showed that the hospital admission blood contained .081/.083 of alcohol ... Based on [Lemiz’s] statement of not drinking, the blood results, and a retrograde analysis, I determined the BAC to be .097/.104 at the time of the collision and that [Lemiz] was impaired at the time of the collision,” a deputy wrote, according to the arrest report.
Vehicle data showed Joel Leiniz was driving at 104 mph before crashing into the pole in a 40-mph speed zone, according to the deputies’ arrest report.
Leiniz “stated that he was traveling in the inside lane, attempting to change into the center lane. Suddenly, there was a car in front of him and he swerved right to avoid a collision and he lost control ... he did not recall how fast he was driving or what the speed limit was, but did not think he was speeding,” a deputy wrote, according to the arrest report.
Video recorded by a surveillance camera at 2450 South Military Trail showed Leiniz “traveling at a high rate of speed” and “swerving right to avoid the collision,” according to the deputy’s report.
“Based on the extensive damage to [the Audi], the video showing the amount of lift and rotation during the collision, and the tire loading mark showing the speed and extreme steering input, I determined that [Lemiz] was traveling at a high rate of speed,” the deputy wrote, according to the arrest report.
Deputies arrested Joel Leiniz on July 19. He faced charges of vehicular homicide and DUI manslaughter, records show.
On Monday, Joel Leiniz appeared in bond court before Palm Beach County Circuit Judge Donald Hafele, who set his bail at $150,000, or $75,000 for each of the charges, according to Palm Beach deputies.
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