PALM BAY, Fla. – Troopers have a suspect in custody after a hit-and-run crash Friday morning, which killed two people and forced the temporary closure of all southbound lanes on Interstate 95 in Palm Bay, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
The crash occurred around 9:50 a.m. at mile marker 172 (near Malabar Road), troopers said. All lanes had been reopened by around noon, according to FHP.
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According to an FHP crash report, both of the people who were killed were pronounced dead at the scene. They were identified as a 22-year-old Enterprise man and a 41-year-old Deltona man, both of whom were described as surveyors, the report states.
The men were walking on the right grassy shoulder of southbound I-95 when a 2021 Freightliner Cascadia ran off the roadway right and struck them shortly after hitting a pickup truck that was parked on the shoulder, troopers said, adding a passenger who was in the pickup truck was not injured in the crash and had remained at the scene.
The semi-truck was then driven away from the scene, prompting a search which resulted in the Freightliner being located on I-95 at mile marker 45 in Palm Beach County, according to FHP.
Describing “a very active criminal investigation,” troopers after noon Friday said that they had a suspect in their custody.
Troopers arrested Hassan Abdirahman Sheikh Ali, 36, of Charlotte, North Carolina. He faces two counts of leaving the scene of a crash causing death. At his first appearance in court Saturday, a Brevard County judge found probable cause to order no bond for Sheikh Ali, who was appointed a public defender.
The Florida Department of Transportation provided the following statement to News 6:
The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) is deeply saddened by this tragic incident involving two crewmembers who were conducting surveying work for a future resurfacing project along Interstate 95 (I-95) in Brevard County. We extend our sincere condolences to their family and friends.
Florida Department of Transportation statement May 2, 2025 (excerpt)
FHP is still investigating.