PORT ORANGE, Fla. – A man was arrested Monday night on allegations of stealing a good Samaritan's pickup truck after causing a crash on Interstate 95 near the Volusia-Flagler county line, officials said.
Zachary Searls, 27, was arrested on charges of grand theft of a motor vehicle, leaving the scene of a crash involving injuries, driving without a license and resisting an officer without violence.
According to the Volusia County Sheriff's Office, the driver of a Ford F-150 said he was passed on I-95 south by a Mitsubishi Lancer that was traveling about 100 mph.
The Lancer struck a white van, causing both vehicles to spin out and leave the highway, sheriff's officials said. The Lancer then caught fire, officials said.
The driver of F-150, Felix Coffman, pulled over to help, and he said he saw one of the drivers walk out of the woods, according to sheriff's officials. The good Samaritan walked toward the woods to help the other driver when he noticed that his vehicle was being driven from the scene, officials said.
"You tend to try and help people out if they need help and some people takes advantage of it and advantage of you. That's just the way society is these days. I'm not going to sit there and let him burn to death in a car," Coffman said.
The F-150 was later spotted at a home in Daytona Beach, where Searls was located and arrested, according to the Sheriff's Office.
The good Samaritan positively identified Searls as the man who drove off in his truck, officials said.
Searls was taken to jail and is being held on $5,000 bond.