Police in Florida used an “unusual” method to track down a hit-and-run suspect with the help of a teenage victim and her earpiece.
Peter Bradford Swing, 49, was arrested Friday after allegedly hitting a 15-year-old boy riding a bicycle in Jensen Beach around 10:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Martin County Sheriff’s Office.
Swing is accused of hitting and injuring the boy, then abandoning him on the side of the road and fleeing the scene.
The boy’s mother said her son suffered multiple fractures and head injuries in the hit-and-run accident. Wikipedia.
“A horrible thing happens to a human being, a 15-year-old boy, and the driver just drives off. That’s reprehensible,” Sheriff William Snyder said.
Police said the unidentified victim was taken to a local hospital for treatment for his injuries but has since been released and is expected to make a full recovery.
And despite his injuries, the boy helped to apprehend the suspect.
One of the victim’s earphones flew out of his ear and fell under a floor mat inside Swing’s SUV, ultimately leading to his arrest.
“It was the earpiece that provided location information to the suspect’s Jensen Beach home,” police said.
When police arrived at his home they found Swing’s silver Hyundai Santa Fe, believed to be the vehicle involved in the hit-and-run, “attempting to hide” it from view.
“As officers expected, the passenger side of the vehicle was damaged and the rear window was broken,” police said.
When officers searched the suspect’s vehicle, they found the victim’s earphones lodged underneath a floor mat.
“This is an unusual method for finding a hit-and-run suspect, but it has been effective,” police said in a statement.
Swing was later arrested at his home in Jensen Beach, about 40 miles north of Palm Beach, and charged with leaving the scene of an accident causing serious injury.
“I am very happy that the perpetrator has been caught and that my son was able to contribute to their search,” the victim’s mother told the media.
Police said that during his arrest, Swing “told officers he expected them to show up eventually and then made a full confession to the accident.”
The 49-year-old suspect also told investigators that he had previously served time in prison for drug-related offences and had “panicked” and fled the scene of the accident.
Swing is currently being held without bail in the Martin County Jail.
If convicted, he faces up to 15 years in prison, 15 years probation and a fine of up to $10,000.
