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An 18-year-old Cocoa man who played catcher in the Atlanta Braves’ minor league system has been arrested and charged with Vehicular Homicide and Leaving a Crash Scene Involving Death after a chain-reaction wreck on Interstate 75 killed a 34-year-old truck driver Monday morning in Manatee County.
Jonathan Matos Morales was booked into the Manatee County Jail after the Florida Highway Patrol located and impounded his 2022 Ford Mustang. According to FHP, the Braves organization itself tipped off troopers after seeing the damaged Mustang at their compound shortly after investigators released video of the crash and a description of the suspect vehicle.
Troopers say the louvers on the rear window and a stick camera had been removed from the vehicle by the time it was recovered.
According to FHP, the crash occurred just before 6:30 a.m. Monday on I-75 South near the State Road 64 exit. Matos Morales was allegedly driving the dark-colored Mustang southbound in the left lane when he changed into the center lane, striking a Chevy Trailblazer driven by a 63-year-old Palmetto man.
The impact forced the Trailblazer into the right lane and directly into the path of a semi tractor-trailer driven by 34-year-old Stavan Albert Facey of New Smyrna Beach. FHP Trooper Ken Watson told reporters that a fully loaded semi traveling at highway speed simply cannot stop on a dime.
The collision redirected the semi across all three southbound lanes. The truck overturned onto its right side, coming to rest partially in the grass median and blocking all southbound travel lanes. Facey was pronounced dead at the scene. The Trailblazer driver suffered minor injuries.
Troopers say Matos Morales stopped briefly after the crash, then fled southbound on I-75.
FHP initially described the suspect vehicle as a black Ford Mustang with rear louvers and possibly a stick camera on the rear, and described the driver as a male with a stocky build wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt. After releasing crash video to the public, troopers say the Atlanta Braves contacted them to report that they believed the Mustang responsible for the crash was located at their compound.
Matos Morales is listed on MiLB.com as a catcher in the Braves system. In a statement, the Braves said they were aware that a player “formerly in our minor league system” was under investigation related to the fatal crash, and that the organization was cooperating fully with authorities.
The southbound lanes of I-75 were shut down for hours following the crash. The highway did not fully reopen until approximately 12:30 p.m.
The truck driver killed in the crash, Stavan Albert Facey, was 34 years old and from New Smyrna Beach. His family says he was a hard worker who owned his own truck. Facey leaves behind four children and his mother. His family told reporters that his world revolved around his children and his mother, and that the pain they are carrying is immense.
Matos Morales faces charges of Vehicular Homicide under Florida Statute §782.071 and Leaving a Crash Scene Involving Death under §316.027.
Under Florida law, vehicular homicide is defined as the killing of a human being caused by the reckless operation of a motor vehicle in a manner likely to cause death or great bodily harm. The charge is ordinarily a second-degree felony carrying up to 15 years in prison. However, when the driver knew or should have known a crash occurred and failed to stop, render aid, and provide information as required by §316.062, the charge is elevated to a first-degree felony punishable by up to 30 years in prison.
Leaving the scene of a crash involving death is a separate first-degree felony under §316.027(2)(c). The state does not need to prove the defendant caused the death to sustain that charge, only that the defendant willfully left the scene of a crash that resulted in a death.
FHP says the investigation is ongoing.
This is a developing story. The Space Coast Rocket will update this article as additional information becomes available.
