Good Samaritan Helps Car Crash Victim Who Then Stole His Truck

A Good Samaritan who stopped to help victims of a crash on Interstate 95, in Volusia County, Florida, had his truck stolen by one of the victims. The suspect was later arrested.

Felix Coffman, from Palm Coast, Florida, saw a man speed past him in a Mitsubishi Lancer and rear-end a van at about 8 p.m. EST Monday on the I-95. After the driver lost control and crashed the car into a tree, the vehicle caught fire. Coffman pulled over to help the victims and went to check on the driver of the van, since the saw the Lancer driver walking out of the woods.

When he turned around, he saw the driver of the Lancer drive off with his truck, according to his statement to the police, Fox News reported.

Volusia County deputies tracked down the suspect after they saw a video of the crash where Coffman could be seen standing on the busy road telling a deputy about the crash. The suspect was identified as Zachary Searls. A county-wide alert for the stolen truck and its driver was issued by a sheriff’s deputy, and he was found in a short span of time.

Good Samaritan stops to help after witnessing a fiery crash on I-95. His reward: A thief involved in the crash stole his truck. Deputies were able to track down the suspect, arrest him and return the truck to its owner. We thank him for being one of the good guys! pic.twitter.com/WOoNNibF8a
— Volusia Sheriff (@VolusiaSheriff) January 15, 2019

Searls was at his home in Daytona Beach, where the stolen track was parked in the driveway. He exited the house and walked towards the truck but on seeing the police officers, he turned around and went inside his house where he was arrested.

He faced several charges including grand theft of a motor vehicle and leaving the scene of a crash with injuries, not having a valid driver’s license and resisting an officer without violence. He was booked into the Volusia County Jail on a $6,000 bond. No attorney was listed for Searls, according to the court records. Police records also showed Searls had a lengthy criminal history.

Coffman was also taken to Searls’ home where he identified him as the man who stole his truck. On speaking to his roommate, the police learnt he lent his father's car to Searls.

The other driver involved in the crash suffered serious injuries that were considered non-life-threatening and was taken to Halifax Health Medical Center, the police said.

Florida