A 37-year-old man riding a motorized electric scooter was struck and killed by a driver who fled the scene near Tyrone Boulevard North in St. Petersburg, and police have since located the driver responsible. The crash happened around 9:50 p.m. at 5th Avenue North and Tyrone Boulevard North, where emergency responders pronounced the man dead at the scene.
According to the Tampa Free Press, the man was riding a standing electric scooter south to north across 5th Avenue North, outside a marked crosswalk, when a black Toyota sedan traveling westbound in the curb lane struck him. The impact threw the rider from the vehicle, and the Toyota fled the scene without stopping, the outlet reported. The St. Petersburg Police Department has withheld the victim's identity pending notification of next of kin.
Officers later located the driver of the Toyota, per the same report, though authorities have not confirmed whether charges will be filed and have not released the driver's name. The investigation remains ongoing.
What Florida Law Says About Fleeing a Fatal Crash
Florida law treats leaving the scene of a crash involving a death as a serious felony regardless of who caused the initial collision. Under Florida Statute § 316.027(2)(c), the offense is classified as a first-degree felony carrying a mandatory minimum of four years and up to 30 years in state prison, a fine of up to $10,000, and license revocation for at least three years, according to the Sammis Law Firm. That mandatory minimum traces back to Florida's Aaron Cohen Life Protection Act, passed in 2014 specifically to remove the incentive for impaired drivers to flee rather than stay and face DUI manslaughter charges, according to Jack Bernstein, Injury Attorneys.
The circumstances of how the victim was crossing also carry legal weight. The Tampa Free Press reported that the rider crossed against the pedestrian signal, and under Florida Statute § 316.2128, electric scooter riders generally hold the same rights and duties as bicyclists, requiring no license or registration to use bike lanes or roads posted under 30 mph, per Punk Ride. When using a crosswalk, scooter riders and cyclists take on the rights and duties of pedestrians, meaning they can legally cross an intersection provided they obey the pedestrian signal, according to WKMG. It remains unclear from available reporting whether the vehicle's speed at impact or lighting conditions at the intersection played any role in the collision.
A Busy Corridor With a History of Enforcement
Tyrone Boulevard, part of U.S. Route 19 Alternate, carries as many as 37,500 vehicles a day through St. Petersburg, and local traffic analyses have flagged the commercial stretch around 5th Avenue North as a high-volume corridor with frequent pedestrian crossings, according to the Jones Law Group. The St. Petersburg Police Department Traffic Unit has conducted targeted speed and traffic enforcement operations along Tyrone Boulevard and 5th Avenue North because of frequent violations on those arterials, the department has said in past statements.
Part of a Troubling Pattern for Vulnerable Road Users
This crash adds to a string of recent fatal hit-and-run cases in the St. Petersburg area. Just two weeks ago, Hoodline reported on a hit-and-run that killed a 47-year-old woman crossing Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Street South at 15th Avenue South during early morning hours. In May, St. Petersburg police arrested a 31-year-old mother for leaving the scene of a fatal crash after she fled on foot following a late-night collision on 38th Avenue North that killed an 18-year-old motorcyclist.
The pattern reflects broader numbers across the region and the state. Pinellas County recorded 12,333 total vehicle crashes in 2025, including 65 fatalities, 481 pedestrian collisions with 29 deaths, and 822 bicycle crashes, according to Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles data cited by Jack Bernstein, Injury Attorneys. Statewide, Florida logged 104,273 hit-and-run crashes in 2023 that resulted in 271 deaths, with pedestrians and bicyclists making up roughly 76% of all fatal hit-and-run victims, per the same agency's data.
