A 19-year-old Apopka man already under investigation in a double-fatal crash last November has been arrested again, this time accused of driving over 120 miles per hour on a suspended license. Denis Josue Maldonado-Reyes had pleaded not guilty to reckless-driving charges when troopers say he was caught speeding nearly a year later.
According to WFTV Channel 9 Orlando, Maldonado-Reyes was arrested for driving well over double the posted speed limit while his license was suspended. He had already pleaded not guilty to reckless driving charges stemming from the November crash, and Florida State Highway Patrol has said it is still waiting on evidence results from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement before working with the State Attorney's Office on that earlier case. FDLE did not immediately answer the station's questions about the status of its work.
The crash that started it all happened on November 23, 2025, at the intersection of Rock Springs Road and Alexandria Place Drive in Apopka. Florida Highway Patrol troopers reported that an ACCESS LYNX van driver turned left into the path of a Ford Mustang driven by Maldonado-Reyes, according to ClickOrlando. The collision killed van passengers Jerry Earl, 81, and Aida Maldonado, 94.
Grandmother's Death Haunts Family Nearly a Year Later
Aida Maldonado was the grandmother of Edna McGrew, who said the November crash killed her grandmother and left her family reeling. McGrew described her grandmother as someone who loved music and had attended a concert in Miami before her 94th birthday. Now, with the criminal case still unresolved, McGrew said she is afraid of what could happen next.
“And he’s going to be free and probably kill somebody else because he doesn’t care, obviously,” McGrew said, according to the same account. She said she is concerned Maldonado-Reyes will kill more people if he remains free while the investigation drags on.
The November crash also left lasting physical damage beyond the two deaths. The 17-year-old passenger riding with Maldonado-Reyes was critically injured and required weeks of hospital care, while Maldonado-Reyes himself suffered serious injuries in the collision, the station's report notes.
Conflicting Accounts of the Crash Speed
Maldonado-Reyes has maintained that he was not driving that fast before the crash and has said the van swerved into his lane beforehand. But troopers estimated his speed at 90 miles per hour in a 45 mph zone — double the road's posted limit, per FHP's account relayed by WFTV. A private traffic investigator hired by LYNX and FHP troopers have both said his version of events is physically impossible given how far the 12,000-pound transit van was pushed by the impact.
The dossier does not indicate that this dispute over the crash's speed has been resolved; troopers and the private investigator dispute Maldonado-Reyes's account, and Maldonado-Reyes has pleaded not guilty to reckless-driving charges. Court records cited by the station indicate Maldonado-Reyes held a permanent resident card at the time of his most recent arrest.
New Arrest Involves Alleged Extreme Speeding
Maldonado-Reyes's latest arrest alleges that he drove over 120 mph while his license was suspended. The law makes driving 50 mph or more over the posted limit, or 100 mph or faster in a dangerous manner, a criminal misdemeanor punishable by up to 30 days in jail and a $500 fine for a first offense, according to Online Sunshine. The Florida Senate's 2025 Florida Statutes identify § 316.1922 as the state's “Dangerous excessive speeding” law.
Driving on a suspended license is also a criminal offense in Florida. Under Florida Statute § 322.34(2), knowingly operating a vehicle with a suspended, revoked, or canceled license is a second-degree misdemeanor for a first offense, though repeat violations can escalate to higher misdemeanors or even a third-degree felony. Separately, Maldonado-Reyes already faces reckless-driving charges from the November crash. Florida law defines reckless driving as operating a vehicle with willful or wanton disregard for safety and carries penalties of up to 90 days in jail and fines between $25 and $500 for a first conviction.
Part of a Broader Crackdown on Extreme Speeders
Maldonado-Reyes's case lands amid an aggressive local enforcement push against extreme speeding. In the first three months after Florida's dangerous excessive speeding law took effect in July 2025, the Orange County Sheriff's Office arrested 68 drivers for traveling over 100 mph or more than 50 mph over posted limits. The statute covers driving 50 or more miles per hour over the limit and driving 100 miles per hour or more in a dangerous manner.
The stakes are significant in a county that already struggles with traffic deaths. Statewide, Florida's 2024 traffic-fatality findings provide broader context for the crash, according to data analyzed by CHG Lawyers.
The county has responded with a $100 million pedestrian and roadway safety initiative guided by Vision Zero safety goals for Orange County aimed at curbing fatal collisions on high-risk corridors. For families like McGrew's, though, the concern remains immediate: the criminal case over her grandmother's death is still pending nearly a year after the crash, even as Maldonado-Reyes faces fresh allegations of dangerous driving.
