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FHP investigators now building case with car connected to deadly Boca Raton hit and run

Posted at 5:43 PM, Nov 15, 2017
and last updated 2017-11-15 20:36:08-05

Solving deadly hit and run crashes are the most difficult cases for Florida Highway Patrol investigators. They have to prove who was driving at the time of the crash.

Now that FHP has the car it believes was involved in a hit and run that killed motorcyclist Kevin Scheinberg, 36, in September, investigators are building their case. 

Investigators are examining the black Chrysler they say was seen in a trooper's dash camera video the night of the crash. 

"Once we have the car, you know, we have something to build on," said Florida Highway Patrol Sergeant Mark Wysocky.

From the start, investigators had more to go on than in most hit and run cases; a sketch of the driver from a witness at the scene and a short video of the driver leaving the scene which was caught on the dash cam of a trooper's car. But still, detectives have their work cut out for them. 

"You have to build a case, you just can't say this is your car you're going to jail, it's not that simple. We have to be able to put that person behind the wheel of the car," added Wysocky. 

For Sonny Scheinberg, it would mean no longer waiting to find out who killed her brother. 

"As much as you are dealing with the loss of my brother, I got to deal with the waiting to hear that we caught this person," said Scheinberg.

Detectives believe the driver changed lanes right into Kevin's motorcycle causing him lose control. Had the driver stayed and told police what happened, he would be facing a ticket, but he left the scene as seen in the dash cam video and could now face jail time. 

"You have someone that's killed someone and just left them laying on the side of the road. I don't know how anybody can do that," said Sergeant Wysocky.

But it happens. And in most cases investigators never find the car involved. This time they have; at a body shop in Broward County.

As in the 2014 case of a hit and run that killed Road Ranger Arnold Metellus on I-95 near Palmetto Park Road, finding the car does not always mean there's an arrest.

"We have that car also, but we don’t have the person who was driving the car. It's very frustrating for investigators because they want to give closure to that family so they have the closure to move on." 

Sonny asked for tips from the public when she lost her brother and she's asking for help again now. 

"That was his feel-good moment of the day when he was riding around and I hate that was the last thing he ever did; was ride his motorcycle that night," she said. 

Investigators say what helps them start their investigations is the information that comes from witnesses. If you remember what the car looks like, the license plate number, or can describe the driver, they want you to speak up. If you work at a body shop and get a car that has damage and something doesn't look right, speak up.