A Miami Beach man is behind bars after police say he mowed down two pedestrians on Collins Avenue, then bolted into a nearby Walgreens while first responders rushed to save the victims. The Wednesday night crash brought emergency crews to the North Beach stretch of Collins Avenue and initially left both pedestrians in critical condition before they later died.
What happened
According to Miami Beach police, 42-year-old Adan Negron-Morris was behind the wheel of a black Nissan Sentra, heading east on 71st Street toward Collins Avenue around 9:07 p.m. Wednesday. Investigators say he was driving without headlights and in a reckless manner when he turned north onto Collins and hit two people who were crossing at the intersection of 73rd Street.
Officers say the car kept going up Collins to 74th Street before stopping. At that point, Negron-Morris allegedly jumped out and ran into a Walgreens, where witnesses pointed officers to his location. He was taken into custody inside the store.
The two victims, identified by authorities as Sarisa Kongduang and Greatgomon Laowatdhanasapya, were rushed to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center. They did not survive their injuries. Negron-Morris was later booked into Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on two counts of vehicular homicide and two counts of leaving the scene of a crash involving death, according to WSVN.
Why it matters
Pedestrian crashes remain a stubborn safety problem across the country. An analysis by the Governors Highway Safety Association found that pedestrian deaths are still running above pre-pandemic levels and that people on foot face especially high risk at night and on roads that lack solid lighting or sidewalks.
Collins Avenue, a main north-south artery that cuts through Miami Beach’s hotel and resort corridor, draws heavy foot traffic at almost all hours. That combination of cars, tourists, and locals on a busy beachfront corridor can amplify the impact when a crash turns deadly, as described by Wikipedia.
Police response
Police said a Miami Beach officer on a high-visibility patrol had already spotted the Nissan and was trying to respond as a flurry of 911 calls started coming in about the crash. According to officials, Negron-Morris was “taken into custody without incident” inside the Walgreens.
Investigators with the Miami Beach Police Department are continuing to process the crash scene, review evidence, and interview witnesses as they work to piece together the full timeline of events, per WSVN.
