HIALEAH GARDENS, Fla. — A Miami Beach police motorman has died following a crash on Interstate 75 in Hialeah Gardens.
He has been identified as Officer David Cajuso, a 10-year, decorated veteran.
Miami Beach Police Department Chief Wayne Jones said in a press conference Tuesday afternoon that Cajuso was a husband and a father of three young children — ages two, three, and five. He also called him a “dedicated hero.”
A second procession honoring Cajuso is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. as he is transported from the Miami-Dade Medical Examiner’s Office to a funeral home.
Police said Cajuso was traveling on northbound I-75 near the Palmetto Expressway when his motorcycle went down a steep embankment when he somehow lost control of it.
Investigators with the Florida Highway Patrol inspected the wreckage, which was surrounded by more than two dozen marked law enforcement vehicles.
Sky 10 was above the scene at about 11:45 a.m. Tuesday as the police officer was lying in a grassy area off to the side of the roadway as first responders were performing CPR on him.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue officials confirmed that Cajuso was airlifted to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center.
Cajuso has since passed away and scores of law enforcement officers were seen outside JMH on Wednesday, where the first procession was held for him.
“This is a sad and dark day for men and women of the Miami Beach Police Department and for our law enforcement officer in South Florida,“ said Jones. ”I ask that you keep his young family in your thoughts and prayers as they navigate this grievance process."
Rafael Barros, special agent in charge of the U.S. Secret Service’s Miami Field Office, said Cajuso’s death is a loss for the entire South Florida community.
“The strong relationships we share in this profession are built on trust, service and sacrifice, and those bonds mean that when one officer falls in the line of duty, an entire community feels that loss,” Barros wrote in a statement to Local 10 on Tuesday. “Thank you for your service and sacrifice, faithful guardian. May he rest in peace.”
Flowers now lay outside the Miami Beach Police Department where flags were flying at half-staff in Cajuso’s memory.
“The worst of our nightmares came true, but I think you see we are united. We are showing support for the family, our police officers, all in law enforcement. We hold them dear in our hearts. God bless them all,” said Miami Beach Mayor Steven Meiner.
The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating the crash.
No other details were immediately released.
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