Almost a month after a Pompano Beach cyclist was found dead beside a road near his bicycle, Broward Sheriff's Office detectives still have not identified the driver who hit him, and a $5,000 reward is now on the table for anyone who can help crack the case.
Jacob Robinson was found around 4:45 a.m. on August 23 in the 1700 block of Northwest 16th Avenue, according to Broward Sheriff's Office homicide detectives cited by WPLG Local 10. Deputies responded after reports of a person lying beside the road near a bicycle, and Pompano Beach Fire Rescue crews pronounced him dead at the scene. An autopsy revealed Robinson sustained injuries consistent with being hit by a car, and detectives said the bicycle itself appeared to have been struck by a vehicle.
Detective Leads Active Search for Driver
Broward Sheriff's Office Traffic Homicide Unit Detective Chandler Greetham is leading the active investigation into Robinson's death, according to the Boca Post. Investigators are accepting tips through the SaferWatch mobile app as well as Broward Crime Stoppers, and the renewed public appeal for information comes nearly a month after the crash. Authorities have asked anyone with information to contact the Broward Sheriff's Office at 954-321-4844 or Broward Crime Stoppers anonymously at 954-493-TIPS, and Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for tips leading to an arrest.
The early morning timing of the crash fits a broader pattern seen across the state. Florida Highway Safety data indicates that more than 81% of all fatal hit-and-run collisions statewide occur during dawn, dusk, or nighttime conditions, according to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Reduced visibility during those hours is a recurring factor in hit-and-run cases, and it helps explain why investigators in cases like Robinson's often lean heavily on tip lines and community reporting apps when physical evidence at the scene is limited.
Felony Charges Await Driver If Caught
If the driver is identified and arrested, Florida law leaves little room for leniency. Under Florida Statute § 316.027, known as the Aaron Cohen Life Protection Act, leaving the scene of a crash resulting in death is classified as a first-degree felony punishable by a mandatory minimum of four years in prison, with a maximum of up to 30 years, per the state highway safety department. The law was created specifically to close a sentencing gap between fleeing a fatal crash and DUI manslaughter.
The statute is named for Aaron Cohen, a 31-year-old cyclist and father who was fatally struck in South Florida in 2012 by an impaired driver who fled the scene. That original driver served only two years in prison because prosecutors could not prove he had been driving under the influence at the time of the crash, a gap in the law that state lawmakers closed when they passed the Aaron Cohen Life Protection Act in July 2014, according to the state highway safety agency.
Cyclists Bear Brunt of Statewide Hit-and-Run Trend
Robinson's death adds to a troubling statewide picture for cyclists. Bicycle crashes across Florida rose 6.3% in 2025 to 9,914 incidents even as overall hit-and-run fatalities in the state fell 25.6%, from 242 deaths in 2024 to 180 in 2025, according to data compiled by Swope, Rodante P.A. Statewide bicyclist fatalities dipped only slightly, from 209 in 2024 to 201 in 2025, even as the number of crashes climbed.
Vulnerable road users like cyclists and pedestrians continue to absorb a disproportionate share of these tragedies. They accounted for 76% of all hit-and-run fatalities recorded in Florida in 2023, made up of 159 pedestrians and 47 bicyclists out of 271 total deaths, per the state highway safety department. Enforcement of protections meant to keep cyclists safe also remains thin: state law enforcement officers issued just 130 citations statewide in 2024 for violating Florida's 3-foot bicycle passing law, despite more than 9,000 bicycle crashes that same year, according to Space Coast Daily.
Part of a String of Unsolved Pompano Beach Cases
Robinson's case is not the only open hit-and-run investigation Broward Sheriff's Office detectives have been working in Pompano Beach recently. Just weeks earlier, in August, deputies opened an investigation after a man was found dead in a swale along Southwest 10th Drive with injuries consistent with a vehicle strike; detectives in that case noted the victim may have been struck somewhere else before ending up there. And in January 2025, Broward Sheriff's Office traffic homicide detectives investigated a similar fatal hit-and-run along West Copans Road in Pompano Beach, which led to the arrest of a Coral Springs driver accused of striking and killing an electric scooter operator on New Year's Eve after he attempted to flee the scene in an Uber.
