GIBSONTON, Fla. (WSVN) — A Tampa-area couple said they took matters into their own hands after they were struck by an out-of-control driver who fled the scene.
Sharon and Craig Celia said a drive to Tampa with two of their friends came to a screeching halt in Hillsborough County on Nov. 8.
“I couldn’t believe it was happening when I first got hit,” said Craig.
“I was sitting in the back seat, driver’s side and all of a sudden just felt the impact,” said Sharon.
Dashcam video shows a car come up behind them on the highway. It appeared to clip the Celias’ car in the middle lane and another car in the left lane.
“We were in the center lane, we crossed over the right lane, we were spinning, hit the guardrail with the front of the car, then the back of the car,” said Sharon.
The front dashcam shows the moment their car headed for the guardrail…
“I could see the guardrail out the windshield and just thinking, ‘God, I hope it holds,’ and then, ‘I hope no one else hits us,'” said Sharon.
According to a report from Florida Highway Patrol, another victim said the driver in that car never stopped.
The Celias were left trying to piece together what happened.
“Social media was what won that case, really,” said Craig.
The couple shared the dashcam video on social media.
“We had the first tip that the car had pulled into the Zoom Zoom parking lot on Gibsonton Drive,” said Sharon.
Sharon said they tracked down surveillance video from the convenience store and gas station. It shows the car pulling into the parking lot, then being towed away.
The couple followed a trail of even more tips. That eventually led authorities to arrest 21-year-old Alexander Elliott.
“We were really grateful when he got caught, and when we got that phone call from the trooper,” said Craig.
Elliot faces several charges, including reckless driving.
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