An 89-year-old resident of the Polo Club of Boca Raton is now at the center of a felony hit-and-run case after a late-night arrest Friday, months after a crash that injured another driver at a busy Boca intersection. The collision happened Oct. 8, 2025, at N. Military Trail and Champion Boulevard, and investigators say patient work with video and vehicle evidence finally led them to their suspect.
Crash details
Detectives identified the driver as Rhoda Prager, who they say was behind the wheel of a red Lexus that tried to make a U-turn in front of an oncoming vehicle driven by Melanie Meltzer. Meltzer, who was heading south with a green light, could not stop in time, according to BocaNewsNow. She was taken to Delray Medical Center, and deputies say her silver Honda Odyssey remained at the scene with fresh damage and red paint transfer on the front-left corner.
A Polo Club security guard reported spotting a smoking red Lexus inside the gated community shortly after the crash. Investigators say dashcam footage and the physical damage on the vehicles lined up with what Meltzer told them happened in the intersection.
Legal context
Under Florida law, any driver involved in a crash that causes injury has to stop, share identifying information and, when possible, help anyone who is hurt. Walking or driving away from a scene where someone suffers serious bodily injury can be charged as a felony, with potential prison time and fines attached.
The law distinguishes between crashes that cause only property damage, those that result in non-serious injuries and those that involve serious injuries or death, with penalties increasing as the harm gets more severe. The specific elements and punishments are laid out in the Florida Statutes.
Arrest and investigation
Deputies arrested Prager late Friday night and booked her into the Palm Beach County Jail’s Main Detention Center on a charge of leaving the scene of a crash involving serious bodily injury, according to BocaNewsNow. After she was read her Miranda rights, investigators say Prager told them her car gave her a pre-collision warning and that she thought she might have clipped a curb while turning, not realizing she had been in a crash with another vehicle…