ORLANDO, Fla. – A man was arrested in a hit-in-run crash in January 2022 that left a teen in a coma for nearly a month, according to the Orlando Police Department.
Irving Delgado Alcantar, 20, was arrested Friday, police said.
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The Florida Highway Patrol said the crash occurred on Jan. 29, 2022, at the intersection of East Colonial Drive and Bonneville Drive, while Joshua Sims was riding his skateboard to meet with his friends,.
Investigators said that Alcantar was driving a blue Ford Focus that he later abandoned at a nearby gas station, about 5 miles away from where the crash happened. According to an affidavit, troopers learned the vehicle was registered to Alcantar’s sister, who told investigators her brother called her and said he thought he hit someone.
When investigators contacted Alcantar, he said he had a baby in the car and was “scared for the health of the baby, so he left the scene,” the affidavit said.
After being hit, Joshua was taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center where he underwent two brain surgeries and remained in a coma for almost a month before regaining consciousness.
Jennifer Bennett, Joshua’s mother, was ecstatic when he woke up and told News 6 last February that she was focusing on his recovery.
“I just remind him that he’s a fighter. I tell him that I love him,” she said. “He’s a miracle and he’s so strong. And… I just feel so blessed. We’re so blessed.”
In the latest update on a GoFundMe, a family friend wrote in August 2022 that Sims was taken to a rehabilitation facility that specializes in brain injury care.
Alcantar’s bail was set at $25,000, and he has since bailed out.
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