Dodge Ram Driver Jumps Off 7-Mile Bridge in Florida Keys Chase! | Florida Highway Patrol

Incident Report: On 11/26/24 I was sitting in the median running radar. A group of vehicles came over the bridge, and a dark-colored vehicle was passing all of them. The vehicle (Dodge Ram Truck) was traveling northbound on State Road 5 in the inside lane at 70 mph in a 45-mph zone. I went behind the defendant to attempt to stop the vehicle. I activated my emergency lights and siren. The defendant went to the right and then to the left, looking as though he was going to stop. The driver decided not to stop and then proceeded at a high rate of speed northbound. The vehicle was weaving in and out of traffic with speeds over 100 mph. I was able to get the tag of a 2019 Dodge Ram Pickup. The defendant would then travel northbound onto the Seven Mile Bridge, almost striking several vehicles, including an FWC officer, Alex Allen, and Sergeant O'Neill, who was off duty with the Monroe County Sheriff's Office in a marked unit. They both assisted once the vehicle stopped. The defendant would be weaving in and out of traffic on the Seven Mile Bridge, and speeds would reach up to 100 mph again, almost striking several vehicles. He would slow and then speed up again. He would enter the southbound lane and push the southbound traffic to the shoulder. Traffic saw what was going on the bridge, and traffic would stop and assist in stopping the vehicle. The driver got out of the vehicle and jumped into the water. A few minutes later, the Monroe County Sheriff's Office boat unit arrived on the scene and took the driver into custody. The passenger of the vehicle just sat there when the driver got out and jumped into the ocean. She only knew him as Joshua. The driver was identified as Joshua Seth Lapidus. The driver had several suspensions, the most recent on 11/7/23 for Habitual and 4/29/24 for DWLS FR suspensions. Lapidus now faces charges of driving with a suspended license as a habitual offender, fleeing and eluding law enforcement at high speed, resisting an officer, and other misdemeanors. Thank you, Channel Members! Lynn Boyer @lynnboyer6643 Moggie Hendry @MoggieHendry Steven Pepin @stevepepin74 Richard McCauley @richardmccauley6254 Michael Bernard @firemnwnb Edie Morgan @ediemorgan8968 DONALD BAUER @DONALDBAUER-p6i Chuck Cooper @ChuckCooper-z3r Michael Meyer @michaelmeyer9665 Ubi DaCosta @ubidacosta3317 Franklin Dumoulin @franklindumoulin8899 WREM970 @wrem9706 Corner Office @corneroffice06 #fhp #pitmaneuver #highspeedpursuit