‘Good man with a good heart’: Man stands guard at Lakeland intersection where teen died, vows to maintain presence
LAKELAND, Fla. (WFLA) — When Jake Singletary heard about the death of a Central Florida Aerospace Academy student this week, one of the first things he did was buy a strobe light for his pickup truck.
“I drive this road pretty regular, and I do know that with all the barricades and all the construction going on and they change the lane around, it gets really confusing,” said Singletary.
Singletary lives in Mulberry but has ties to CFAA, which is located near the intersection of Medulla Road and West Pipkin Road in Lakeland. His brother attended the school and his mother is now principal.
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According to the Lakeland Police Department, crashes at that intersection have increased from zero in 2019 to 18 so far this year.
The latest crash came Tuesday morning, when 15-year old Jaxon Crabtree was hit by a school bus on his way to school.
“It was heartbreaking to know that you can be worried about sending your 15-year old kid to school in the morning,” said Singletary.
There is no crosswalk at that intersection.
Developer JD Alexander signed an agreement with the City of Lakeland in 2018 that requires he install a traffic light at that intersection.
He developed the Riverstone community which now has 1,100 homes in it.
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Alexander told News Channel 8 supply chain issues have delayed the traffic light installation and he hopes it could be completed by March.
In the meantime, Singletary is out at the intersection every morning from roughly 6 a.m. to 7:15 a.m. with the strobe light on his truck, trying to make it safer for children crossing the street to school.
“Hopefully people will be able to see it a little better, bring a little attention to it. I know people driving in the mornings tend to be kind of in a haze,” said Singletary.
In a statement to News Channel 8, Crabtree’s mother Dawn Friesenborg called Singletary a “good man with a good heart.”
“It might be too late for my son, but I hope and pray that through this devastation and through selfless and caring people like Mr. Singletary, that a difference will be made,” she said.
“I just hope that whatever I’m doing will help her realize that she’s not alone in all this and that people do care,” said Singletary.
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