MIAMI – Miami police announced the arrest of a man Tuesday who they said fled the scene following a hit-and-run crash that left a man dead and a woman hurt early Monday morning.
Miami police said officers responded to the crash just after 3:30 a.m. Monday near the intersection of South LeJeune Road and Southwest Eighth Street in the city’s Little Gables area, according to authorities.
Police said a man driving a 2013 Hyundai Sonata ran a red light while heading south on Southwest 42nd Avenue and collided with a 2023 Chevrolet Tahoe before crashing into a palm tree and a second vehicle at the southwest corner of the intersection of Southwest 42nd Avenue and Southwest Eighth Street.
Miami Fire Rescue confirmed that 29-year-old Junior Eugene, who was driving the Hyundai Sonata, was pronounced dead at the scene by a medic not with their department, while a woman driving the third vehicle was transported to Coral Gables Hospital in stable condition.
Eugene’s close-knit family is wrestling with the loss, still trying to process that he’s gone.
His sister, Marjorie, described him as fun-loving.
“He was the life the party,” she said. “He loved to make people laugh and he just liked to have a good time.”
The last time Eugene’s father saw him was Sunday at church. He then went to his overnight private security job early Monday morning.
“He was coming home from work at 3 in the morning when the accident happened,” his father told Local 10.
According to an arrest report from the Miami Police Department, the driver of the Chevy Tahoe, who they identified Tuesday as 50-year-old Gilber Alexander Caro, fled the scene on foot and “did not render aid or call for assistance prior to fleeing.”
Online records show Caro is a deputy of the National Assembly of Venezuela. He was also listed as a politician and activist, according to reports.
Investigators said a take-out bag from Moshi Moshi, a sushi restaurant in Miami, was found inside the SUV Caro was driving. Phone records showed an order for the food was placed around the time of the crash, according to the report.
The vehicles involved sustained serious damage, with a pole smashed to pieces and a mangled street sign lying in the Walgreens parking lot. Shattered glass covered the area.
Dr. Carlos Coro, who lives nearby and drives through the intersection twice a week, described the area as “very dangerous.” He said accidents at the intersection have become all too common and shared his sympathy for the family of the deceased.
Authorities said the crash led to a temporary closure of a portion of LeJeune Road.
Jail records show Caro is facing one count of leaving the scene of a crash that resulted in death.
As of Tuesday morning, the Venezuelan national remained at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.
Caro appeared before Miami-Dade Judge Mindy Glazer who set his bond at $15,000. Jail records indicate that Caro posted bond but is being held on an immigration hold.
Eugene’s family has created a GoFundMe to help pay for his funeral expenses. Click here for more information.