Tesla speeding before crash pushing other vehicle off Stuart bridge, witness said
STUART − The driver of a Tesla that police said left the scene of a crash in which another vehicle fell an estimated 30 feet off the Roosevelt Bridge was arrested on two felony charges, according to police and an affidavit released Monday.
Adam Alaoui, 21, of the 2200 block of Northwest Federal Highway in Stuart, was arrested July 5 on two counts of failure to stop or remain at a crash involving injuries.
He later was released from the Martin County Jail on $400,000 bond, a jail official said Monday.
Stuart Police went to the Roosevelt Bridge about 1:30 a.m. July 5 after an apparent report “that a vehicle had gone over the railing into the water,” according to information in an affidavit and Lt. Richard Shine, Stuart police spokesperson.
Rather than in the St. Lucie River, investigators found the vehicle, a Toyota 4Runner, in a parking lot. Shine estimated the Toyota fell about 30 feet.
“Looking over the railing, I saw a female inside the vehicle who was not moving and heard a male moaning in pain,” the affidavit states.
Investigators found a man who’d been thrown from the Toyota on the sidewalk of the bridge. He said he was a passenger in the Toyota and was uncertain about where the vehicle came from that struck them. That man and the driver of the Toyota were flown to HCA Florida Lawnwood Hospital in Fort Pierce with various injuries.
A witness told police he saw a white Tesla driving at or above 100 mph north on the Roosevelt Bridge. The Tesla, he said, sideswiped the Toyota, causing the Toyota “to overturn and roll over the bridge.” The witness reported the Tesla continued north.
Police reported they used “law enforcement investigative tools” to get the Tesla’s license plate number. The Tesla was found in the back parking lot of the AxisOne Apartments on the east side of Northwest Federal Highway just south of Northwest Britt Road.
The Tesla sustained heavy damage to the front passenger side, and was missing a tire on the front passenger side. Just the rim remained. Gouge marks in the roadway lead ultimately to where the Tesla was parked, investigators reported.
Police identified Alaoui as the driver and registered owner. A woman who answered an apartment door there allowed investigators in. Alaoui was on a bed and had injuries to his head; the woman had minor injuries.
“Alaoui was unable to answer officers’ questions due to his intoxication level,” the affidavit states.
The woman told police she and Alaoui were in West Palm Beach drinking. She said he drove her back to his home and the crash happened.
She said she told him a number of times to pull over but “he told her not to worry about it,” the affidavit states.
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Will Greenlee is a breaking news reporter for TCPalm. Follow Will on X @OffTheBeatTweet or reach him by phone at 772-267-7926. E-mail him at will.greenlee@tcpalm.com.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: New details in crash in which SUV fell from Roosevelt Bridge
