Cape Coral police looking for driver who fled crash, jumped into canal

The Cape Coral Police Department is looking for a driver who took off after a crash Monday morning on Coronado Parkway at the intersection of El Dorado Parkway.

The driver is described as a heavyset man around 30 years old with black hair in a buzzcut. He was wearing black shorts and no shirt at the time he fled.

He was last seen in a canal in the 5100 block of Atlantic Court, where neighbors who saw him running said he took off his shoes before jumping into the water – and they never saw him come back up.

“I knew he was running from something. It was pretty obvious that he was running scared,” said Karen Montgomery, whose backyard became an active search scene.

The crash left four cars damaged and police scouring a neighborhood near downtown.

“One of the drivers, his vehicle actually flipped a few times but he fled on foot,” said Cpl. Phil Mullen with the CCPD.

“I was working on the lanai and I heard sirens and it sounded really close, and I noticed that a man was running through my yard and saw him jump into the canal,” Montgomery said.

“I waited to see if he was coming back up and I didn’t see him come back up,” she said. “My adrenaline was rushing because I wasn’t sure what was happening.”

Investigators spent hours searching the area and the canal, but the man was never found.

“I was worried he had drowned,” Montgomery said. “I hope he’s safe.”

The Cape Coral Police Department said the suspect crashed a white Chevrolet Tahoe that’s registered in Kentucky. They couldn’t confirm is the suspect is the owner of the vehicle but said their next step is to contact the registered owner.

Anyone with information is asked to call CCPD at (239) 574-3223 or 911.