FHP: Lakeland man arrested after hit-and-run crash kills Bartow High School student

A Polk County man has been arrested following a hit-and-run crash Wednesday morning that killed a Bartow High School student, the Florida Highway Patrol reported.

Edgardo Joel Rosado Perez, 41, of South Lakeland was in jail Wednesday afternoon, charged with leaving the scene of a fatal crash.

FHP Sgt. Steve Gaskins said that an 18-year-old boy had died in the crash , which occurred about 6:55 a.m. on South Jackson Avenue near East Pearl Street.

The agency provided this description of the events:

Following a minor crash that occurred at Bartow High School involving a Chevy sport-utility vehicle, an adult male driver who had delivered his 18-year-old daughter to school fled the scene in a 2018 Hyundai sedan.  While traveling northbound on Jackson Street near Pearl Street at high speed, the Hyundai struck the student, who was walking to school.

The driver fled the crash scene, leaving the victim with fatal injuries, FHP said.

FHP troopers later located the vehicle at the driver’s residence in South Lakeland, parked inside his garage. Troopers learned that the driver had departed in a blue, 2017 Ford Fiesta, which also belonged to him.  Hillsborough County Sheriff’s deputies found the Ford Fiesta parked at the Brandon Mall and located the driver inside the mall, FHP said.

FHP troopers arrested Perez, 41, and delivered him to the Hillsborough County Jail.

A Ledger reporter approached Perez's residence on Polly Lane on Wednesday morning, where two troopers stood in the driveway. Inside the garage with the door open, a dark blue Hyundai was parked facing out. The front end and hood were badly dented, and the windshield was smashed, with a large hole on the driver's side.

The troopers asked the reporter not to take photos of the vehicle, saying that it is an ongoing investigation.

The crash site is several blocks north of Bartow High School and Summerlin Academy, which begin classes at 7 a.m.

Polk County Public Schools confirmed Wednesday that a Bartow High student was killed in a traffic incident. The district is providing assistance to the school, and counselors were on campus Wednesday, PCPS spokesperson Kyle Kennedy said.

Bartow Police Chief Andy Ray referred The Ledger to FHP.

Taylor Smith, who lives on Jackson Avenue, said he heard a sound of impact while in his house Wednesday morning. Smith said he rushed outside, but the vehicle that had struck the victim had already left. Based on his observations, Smith said it seemed likely the driver ran through a stop sign and was driving at high speed in pre-dawn darkness on the road, which has a speed limit of 25 mph.

It's the third hit-and-run death in Polk County since Sunday night. A 58-year-old man visiting from Alabama was killed walking along 10th Street near Wabash Avenue in Lakeland on Sunday night. Late Tuesday night, a 27-year-old Ocala man riding a bicycle on Davenport Boulevard in Davenport was struck from behind and died later at the hospital.

This story will be updated as more information becomes available.

Gary White can be reached at gary.white@theledger.com or 863-802-7518. Follow on X @garywhite13.

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: FHP: Lakeland man arrested after hit-and-run crash kills Bartow High School student