Vero Beach Man Faces Charges After 110 MPH Chase Ends in Crash

A 35-year-old Vero Beach man is in custody facing multiple charges after leading state troopers on a high-speed pursuit through Volusia County Saturday morning that ended in a multi-vehicle crash.

According to authorities, the incident began early Saturday when troopers responded to a hit-and-run investigation at the Sugar Mill Ruins Travel Park off Old Mission Road in New Smyrna Beach. Officials say the suspect vehicle—a pickup truck that had been pulling a camper—returned to the scene without the camper before fleeing from investigators.

The pursuit quickly escalated onto Interstate 95, where the pickup truck traveled at speeds exceeding 110 mph, weaving in and out of traffic lanes. The chase concluded near the intersection of State Road 44 and the I-95 northbound exit, when the driver allegedly ran a red light and struck two other vehicles in a T-bone collision.

A spokesperson confirmed that no injuries were reported among the occupants of the other vehicles or law enforcement personnel.

Witnesses described a terrifying scene as the suspect vehicle sped through traffic. One driver, who asked not to be identified, recounted how the pickup truck approached aggressively regardless of lane position. “I screamed at my mom and my son to hold on, and we went all the way off the road,” she said. “We were wanting him to get caught because what he was doing was awful. He was weaving in and out of traffic. He was going up behind people.”

Authorities identified the driver as Jonathan Hartman of Vero Beach. A spokesperson stated that Hartman is a 14-time convicted felon. Records reference a prior arrest in Brevard County in December 2025.

Cell phone footage obtained by local media, and later confirmed by authorities as depicting the suspect vehicle, showed the pickup truck dangerously maneuvering through traffic hours before Hartman’s arrest.

Hartman remains in custody facing multiple charges related to the hit-and-run, reckless driving, and the subsequent collision. The investigation remains ongoing.