Florida Woman Didn’t Stop For Fatal Hit-and-Run Because She Didn’t Want to Be Late for Work
Share and Follow

A 24-year-old Florida woman was arrested last week for a fatal hit-and-run earlier this month in Lakeland.

Aliya Cruz was arrested on Friday and charged with leaving the scene of a crash involving death, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office said.

The sheriff’s office said a 911 caller reported a woman lying in the middle of a street just before 4 a.m. on August 18. First responders found Danielle Stillwell, 27, dead, with “broken vehicle parts indicating a vehicle was involved, although no vehicle was found at the scene.”

The vehicle parts included a front driver’s side fender liner and a piece of the front bumper. The fender liner had a vehicle part number, and investigators quickly learned that it belonged to a 2019 to 2022 Kia Forte.

Then they canvassed the area for surveillance footage. Footage from a nearby gas station “showed a black sedan in the area, first traveling westbound on W. Highland Street, making a right turn onto Wabash, and then making an immediate U-turn. The vehicle then turned right onto W. Highland to continue its original trajectory.

“The vehicle did not remain on scene, nor did the driver render aid or call for help,” the sheriff’s office said.

Deputies began tracking black Kia Fortes registered in Polk County and found one “parked in the driveway of a house on West Highland Street, which was missing a piece of the driver’s side bumper and the front left wheel fender liner.”

When detectives spoke with Cruz, the owner of the car, she told them she’d left home shortly before 4 a.m. that morning, heading for work.

“She told detectives that as she was driving, a truck approached her from the opposite direction with high beam lights on, impairing her vision,” the sheriff’s office said. “The truck turned right, and then she observed a woman lying on the roadway in front of her with her hands over her face.”

Cruz said she swerved to avoid the woman and believed she didn’t hit her but wasn’t sure. She admitted turning right, then making a U-turn and turning back onto West Highland to continue to work because she didn’t want to be late.

Detectives verified Cruz’s arrival at work at a Publix warehouse that morning with security cameras and badge readers. A supervisor said that Cruz told him she had “possibly killed someone” and showed him photos of the damage to her car.

“He advised her to call the police and report it,” the sheriff’s office said. “She made other statements such as, ‘I don’t really want to say anything,’ ‘Well uhm, I know I didn’t hit them,’ ‘I don’t think I hit the person,’ and ‘I know I swerved.’”

Law&Crime said it viewed the surveillance video, and it wasn’t clear if there had been a truck traveling on the route.

“[T]here isn’t anything [on the video] to corroborate her story,” the sheriff’s office told the outlet in an email.

At a second interview with Cruz on Friday, she admitted taking photos of the damage to her car and telling her boss she was worried because she wasn’t sure if she hit the person. She said she asked him what she should do, and he told her that she should have stopped and notified police.

Cruz was released Sunday on a $50,000 bail, jail records show.

Share and Follow
You May Also Like

90-Year-Old Driver Accidentally Crashes Vehicle Into Coffee Shop on Thanksgiving

A 90-year-old man sustained serious injuries after his vehicle collided with a…

Shocking Verdict: Husband Unaware of Wife’s Heinous Crime Against Adopted Daughter, 6

Left: Kennedy Schroer (Rose Hill Police Department). Insets top to bottom: Crystina…

Prosecutors Reveal Shocking Details of Son Accused in Father’s Sledgehammer Murder

Background: The Schaumburg, Ill. neighborhood where Abhijit Patel allegedly killed his father…

Tragic Twist at Texas A&M Tailgate: Honor Student’s Mysterious Death Leaves Friends Silent

Brianna Aguilera, a dedicated Texas football enthusiast, hails from Laredo, where she…

Inside the Disturbing Digital Footprint: Brian Walshe’s Shocking Internet Searches Exposed in Murder Trial

In the trial of Brian Walshe, a prosecution witness has revealed that…

Missing Texas Couple Discovered Deceased in New Mexico Field After Thanksgiving

An elderly couple from Texas, who vanished while returning home after celebrating…

Probationer Faces 26 Felony Charges Following Traffic Stop Incident

Staff Report GAINESVILLE, Fla. – In the early hours of today, 20-year-old…

Kansas Man Sentenced Following No Contest Plea in Case Involving Death of 6-Year-Old Adoptive Daughter

In a case that has captured significant attention, a Kansas man faced…