A Florida woman accused of a fatal hit-and-run allegedly brought her damaged rental Hyundai to the Lexus dealership where she worked and asked a coworker for a repair estimate. The employee noticed damage that appeared inconsistent with a collision involving another vehicle and alerted management.
Keila Isabel Maldonado, 21, was arrested October 17 after a man was struck and killed while crossing Sheridan Street in Dania Beach, Florida. The collision happened around 1:30 a.m., and the driver left the scene.
Investigators initially had only vehicle fragments recovered from the roadway. An identification number on one piece helped detectives narrow the search to a Hyundai Sonata manufactured between 2024 and 2026.
A five-page sworn arrest affidavit filed by Broward Sheriff’s Office Detective Michael Wiley details how investigators located a damaged 2025 Sonata at Lexus of North Miami, matched debris to the car, and questioned employees about Maldonado’s attempt to arrange repairs.
Clues Left on Sheridan Street
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The collision occurred near Sheridan Street and Southeast Second Avenue. The Broward Sheriff’s Office said the victim was crossing the westbound lanes when he was struck. Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue pronounced him dead at approximately 1:40 a.m.
The vehicle continued west toward Federal Highway. Detectives recovered debris just west of the intersection, including a component bearing an identification number that helped establish the suspected vehicle’s make and model.
Around 11:30 a.m., investigators received information that the Hyundai might be at Lexus of North Miami. Wiley arrived around 2 p.m. and located a dark gray 2025 Sonata secured on the second floor of the dealership’s parking garage.
The Damage Tells Its Own Story
The Sonata belonged to Enterprise Car Rental. Wiley documented collision damage along the passenger-side front bumper, grille, hood, and windshield, which had separated from its frame.
Near the passenger-side A-pillar, the structural support beside the windshield, he observed what appeared to be blood and human tissue. Investigators also matched several pieces of debris recovered from Sheridan Street to the damaged Hyundai, positively identifying it as the vehicle involved in the crash.
The car had not yet been repaired when detectives inspected it.
An Estimate Raises Suspicion
A dealership employee told investigators that Maldonado had asked him to estimate the cost of repairing the Hyundai. After examining the vehicle, he questioned whether another car could have caused the damage.
Maldonado reportedly told him she had struck a person while driving near Hollywood. She also described parking at a nearby shopping plaza after the collision and watching first responders arrive without identifying herself to police.
The employee informed his supervisor, who separately questioned Maldonado. She reportedly told the supervisor she had struck someone on a scooter.
Management secured the Hyundai and obtained its keys. Maldonado left the dealership but agreed to return after the manager contacted her by telephone.
Her Account of the Night
At approximately 5 p.m., Wiley interviewed Maldonado in the dealership’s parking garage. After being advised of her Miranda rights, she provided a sworn recorded statement.
Maldonado told investigators she had taken the Hyundai from the dealership without its knowledge the previous day and driven to the beach near Hollywood. She left around 1 a.m. and said she was unsure which roadway she was traveling on when she struck someone on a scooter.
After the collision, she turned south onto Federal Highway and entered a nearby shopping plaza. She said she watched police and an ambulance arrive, remained there for approximately an hour, and made no attempt to contact law enforcement.
The sheriff’s office describes the deceased man as a pedestrian. The scooter description comes from Maldonado’s reported statements and the dealership employees’ accounts.
The Repair Request Becomes Evidence
The attempted repair became the basis for a separate evidence-tampering allegation. Wiley wrote that Maldonado sought a repair estimate for the vehicle, potentially impairing its condition and availability as evidence in the fatal crash investigation.
An Enterprise manager authorized detectives to remove the Hyundai from Miami-Dade County. Mac’s Towing transported it to Broward County under a sheriff’s deputy’s escort.
Maldonado voluntarily returned to Broward County with investigators and was taken into custody at approximately 6:49 p.m. She faces charges of failing to stop and remain at the scene of a crash involving death and tampering with or fabricating physical evidence.
Her bond was set at $51,000. Local 10 News subsequently reported that she was released with an ankle monitor and prohibited from driving as a condition of release.
The sheriff’s office has withheld the deceased man’s identity under Marsy’s Law.
All parties are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.