Missing Palm Beach Gardens Lyft driver's vehicle recovered in North Carolina, but where is he?
PALM BEACH GARDENS — A vehicle belonging to missing Palm Beach Gardens Lyft driver Gary Levin was located in North Carolina on Thursday as authorities took a man wanted on a murder charge in Central Florida into custody, Levin's son said.
Authorities confirmed that Matthew Scott Flores, 35, of Arcadia was driving Levin's 2022 red Kia Stinger as state troopers in North Carolina attempted to pull the vehicle over, Jonathan Levin said Friday.
As of Friday morning, there was no update regarding the whereabouts of Gary Levin, 74, who was reported missing after he failed to return from picking up a Lyft customer Monday.
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Jonathan Levin said he and other family members learned from Lyft officials that his father traveled to the Delray Beach area to pick up a fare at about 1:30 p.m. Monday. About two-and-a-half hours later, the vehicle was tracked to Okeechobee County, about 90 miles away.
Levin, who lives in Palm Beach Gardens, has driven for Lyft, a ride-sharing company, for about five years, Lindsay DiBetta, Levin's daughter, said Thursday. In her social-media accounts, DiBetta said traffic highway sensors placed her father's Kia in Miami, Sumter County and in the Gainesville area in recent days. Her father's cellphone has been inactive since Monday, she said.
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According to a statement from the North Carolina Highway Patrol, troopers at 5:17 p.m. Thursday attempted to stop a red Kia on North Carolina Road 226 in McDowell County, about 40 miles east of Asheville, N.C. The driver failed to stop and a pursuit began, continuing onto Interstate 40.
The pursuit continued into the town of Ellensboro in nearby Rutherford County before troopers were able to stop the vehicle. The driver, later identified as Flores, exited the car and attempted to flee on foot but was apprehended a short time later. He was taken to a hospital for observation and then transferred to the Rutherford County Jail, where he faces charges that include driving while impaired and felony speeding to evade arrest.
The Wauchula Police Department reported that Flores is wanted in connection with a homicide that occurred in the Hardee County city Jan. 24. Wauchula investigators at one point linked Flores to a blue 2017 Nissan Altima that had a tag switched from another vehicle.
A message left Friday afternoon with the Palm Beach Gardens Police Department was not immediately returned.
Working for Lyft combined Gary Levin's loves of driving, meeting new people
DiBetta described her father as someone who loves driving and meeting new people and said working for the ride-share company has provided him with an opportunity to combine those interests.
She said he moved to South Florida from Philadelphia about two years ago after retiring from a career in sales.
“My dad is a legend to his family, great father to my sister and I," Jonathan Levin said. "My dad endeared himself over the years to tens of thousands of people with his sense of humor. He loves life and loves his family. We’re just broken and would give anything to see Dad again."
Julius Whigham II is a criminal justice and public safety reporter for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jwhigham@pbpost.com and follow him on Twitter at @JuliusWhigham. Help support our work: Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Authorities recover vehicle of missing Palm Beach Gardens Lyft driver
