Former Miami chef Jonathan Eismann landed back in handcuffs Monday after Aventura police say he bolted from not one but two crashes on Biscayne Boulevard, then wound up cornered at Aventura Mall. Both people involved in the collisions had only minor injuries, according to police, but Eismann is now facing fresh felony charges.
Officers booked Eismann on two felony counts of leaving the scene of a crash causing no serious injury. As of Tuesday morning, he was being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on $5,000 bond.
What police say
Investigators say the chain of crashes started just before 4:30 p.m. near Northeast 203rd Street. A black 2020 Ford Escape, allegedly driven by Eismann, hit a red BMW and shoved it into the back of a GMC. Instead of stopping, police say, the Ford jumped onto the center median to get around stopped traffic and then sideswiped a Nissan Rogue, according to Local 10.
Both victims, police say, trailed the Ford Escape to Aventura Mall. Officers met them there, tracked down Eismann and arrested him on two counts of leaving the scene of a crash causing no serious injury.
A chef's troubled past
Eismann was once a familiar name on Miami Beach, a Lincoln Road restaurateur who owned Pacific Time and helped shape the local dining scene. His legal troubles, though, stretch back more than a decade.
In 2012, Eismann was involved in a crash that killed 29-year-old Jean Carlos Ruiz. His rise in the restaurant world, that fatal collision and the fallout that followed were detailed in reporting republished by Hotel Online.
Charges, plea and custody
After years of legal wrangling, Eismann pleaded guilty in 2019 to careless driving involving death and leaving the scene of a crash. He was sentenced to one year of probation, according to Local 10.
The new Aventura counts and this week’s arrest now sit on top of that history, adding another chapter to a string of traffic incidents that have kept his driving record under scrutiny.
What’s next
Prosecutors have not yet made clear whether they will file any additional charges tied to Monday’s crashes. Upcoming court filings and any bond hearings will lay out the next steps in the case.
The repeat nature of the allegations has renewed attention on enforcement and street safety along busy corridors like Biscayne Boulevard, where one driver’s decision to keep going instead of stopping can quickly turn a routine fender bender into a full-blown police chase.
