Eight Car Pile-Up. Jose Bedoya Killed.
Investigators tell BocaNewsNow.com that 34-year-old Charles Velbis, driving a 2017 Jeep Wrangler, was headed south on Dixie Highway north of Lantana Avenue when he struck a Chevy truck. Velbis then fled the scene southbound at a high rate of speed toward Ocean Avenue, where southbound traffic was stopped at a red light.
Velbis slammed into the rear of a 2023 Mazda CX5 driven by 67-year-old Jose Bedoya of Boca Raton, sending the Mazda spinning nearly 180 degrees into a 2016 Toyota 4Runner before it came to rest facing the wrong direction. Velbis kept going, hitting a 2006 Honda Civic, which was pushed into a 2024 Ford F350 before spinning into a 2018 Toyota C-HR. Debris from the pileup struck an eighth vehicle. Bedoya was pronounced dead at the scene. Velbis suffered serious injuries, as did the Honda Civic’s driver. Two other drivers sustained minor or no injuries; the remaining drivers and one passenger were uninjured.
Authorities say alcohol or drugs are suspected in Velbis’s driving, and charges against him are pending as the investigation continues. Anyone with information or video of the crash is asked to contact PBSO…