NEWS RELEASE UPDATE:
On April 8th, 2025, at approximately 3:57 a.m., the Auburndale Police Department responded to a series of traffic incidents originating with a hit-and-run crash on Berkley Road, approximately 100 feet north of the Westside Ridge community. The incidents involved multiple collisions, a carjacking, and concluded in a fatal single-vehicle crash. The first collision occurred when a 2018 Blue Mitsubishi Outlander, driven by suspect Robert Joseph Felton (B/M, 07/31/1982), struck the rear of a 2025 Gray Chevrolet Silverado traveling southbound on Berkley Road. Felton fled the crash scene on foot toward the Westside Ridge community.
A resident of the Westside Ridge community, responding to the crash in a golf cart, encountered Felton. The suspect forcibly removed the resident (second victim) from the golf cart and fled the area while operating the stolen golf cart. While driving the golf cart northbound on Berkley Road, Felton collided with a 2005 Gray Chevrolet Colorado driven by a third victim, causing Felton to fall out of the golf cart and laid motionless on the roadway. After the impact, the third victim exited his vehicle to check on Felton. Felton then got up from the roadway and attempted to steal the Chevrolet Colorado. When the third victim intervened, Felton struck the victim with an unknown object, seized control of the vehicle, and fled the scene.
Felton then collided with a 2024 Hyundai Sonata in a third hit-and-run incident before losing control of the stolen Chevrolet Colorado. The vehicle struck a tree on Strickland Lane near Berkley Road, ejecting Felton. He was pronounced deceased at the scene by responding paramedics. All four victims sustained non-life-threatening injuries and received medical treatment. The investigation remains active, with officers reviewing surveillance footage and witness accounts.
The investigation into these incidents remains ongoing. The Auburndale Police Department urges anyone with information—including witnesses or residents with surveillance footage to contact Corporal Alfredo Marenco at 863.965.5555 or [email protected]
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Original post
Auburndale Police Department News Release:
On April 8, 2025, at approximately 3:00 a.m., Auburndale Police officers responded to three traffic incidents, including two hit-and-run collisions and a fatal single-vehicle crash near Berkley Road and Strickland Lane. First responders arrived to find a single vehicle had struck a tree, resulting in the death of the driver. Preliminary investigations indicate all incidents are related.
The investigation remains in its preliminary stages, and no further details about the involved parties or vehicles are available at this time. The Auburndale Police Department urges anyone with information—including witnesses, residents with surveillance footage, or drivers who may have been in the area—to contact investigators at 863.965.5555.
Additional updates will be provided as the investigation progresses.
