A Florida man who crashed a Tesla into a light pole and two trees apparently had no intention of reporting the wreck to police.
Fortunately for deputies, his iPhone was feeling civic-minded.
According to a Lee County Sheriff’s Office arrest report, the Sept. 20 crash happened inside the Miromar Lakes community, where deputies arrived to find the driver gone and his mother and her boyfriend already gathering pieces of the wreck into a pile in the median.
The driver would later tell deputies he did not want to “waste anyone’s time” by calling 911. By then, the phone had already dimed him out.
His Phone Made The Call
Deputy Matthew Sullivan was dispatched to Via Torino Way and Lake Maggiore Way at about 7:46 p.m. after 911 received an automated crash alert. He arrived about nine minutes later and found a 2026 Tesla Model 3 that had struck a light pole and two trees, apparently overturned, and come to rest on Lake Maggiore Way.
The driver was gone, but much of the mess was not. Vehicle parts and other debris had been collected from the immediate crash area and neatly piled in the center median, a cleanup Sullivan wrote would have required substantial time given the damage.
A Miromar Lakes security officer said he had discovered the wreck during his normal patrol around 7:40 p.m., before deputies arrived and without being notified by anyone involved. He found Brewer’s mother and her boyfriend cleaning up while the driver, later identified as 23-year-old Christopher Brewer, was still there.
Brewer told the security officer he had been using the Tesla’s automated driving system when he crashed. The report does not say deputies obtained vehicle data confirming whether any driver-assistance system was active or contributed to the wreck.
The officer asked Brewer for his license, registration, and insurance information. Brewer supplied only his Massachusetts license. After being told he should call emergency services because of the damage and possible injury, Brewer left with his mother’s boyfriend, who said he was taking him to a hospital.
The Hospital Trip That Wasn’t
Brewer’s mother stayed behind with others deputies believed were family members and continued moving debris into the median. The security officer estimated more than $5,000 in damage to the light pole and about $16,000 to the two trees.
She told deputies Brewer had been taken to a hospital but did not know which one, and said AAA was coming for the Tesla. Deputies asked her to find out where Brewer was and return with the missing vehicle information. She left around 8:04 p.m. for her home about half a mile away.
Sullivan later called without getting an answer. About 30 minutes after she left, Brewer’s mother called back and said he had never gone to the hospital. He was at her residence icing his neck.
She brought him back around 8:45 p.m.
Wine Before, Whiskey After
Deputies said Brewer showed no apparent injuries but smelled strongly of alcohol, had glossy eyes, struggled to maintain his balance, and could not clearly explain what happened before or after the crash. Brewer said he hit the curb and then the light pole, followed by what Sullivan described as several incoherent statements about the sequence.
Brewer told deputies he had consumed a glass of wine before driving and, after leaving the crash scene, drank whiskey at home to help with pain from the wreck. The arrest report does not list a DUI charge.
He also confirmed that he never went to a hospital. When deputies asked why nobody had called 911, Brewer said he was not going to call and did not want to “waste anyone’s time.”
His phone already had.
Deputies determined Brewer’s iPhone sent an automated crash notification to 911 at about 7:33 p.m. Neither Brewer, his mother, nor anyone else at the scene personally reported the wreck.
After Brewer returned, deputies detained him, advised him of his Miranda rights, and he said he declined further questioning.
Deputies arrested Brewer under Florida Statute 316.063(1), which requires a driver who damages unattended property to stop, locate and notify the owner or leave identifying information, and notify police without unnecessary delay.
Brewer was charged with one count of duty upon damaging unattended property, a second-degree misdemeanor. His traffic citation describes the offense as failing to leave information after a crash involving unattended property. He was taken to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office 4th Precinct and then to the Lee County Jail for booking.
All parties are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.