LOXAHATCHEE, Fla. — A Loxahatchee man was arrested this week on charges stemming from a 2021 crash that killed his passenger after he fled the scene, according to Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office records.
Emanuel Carrio, 26, is charged with driving without a license causing death and leaving a crash scene causing death in connection with the April 10, 2021 incident on State Road 80 near C Road in Loxahatchee.
According to the probable cause affidavit, Carrio, who was 20 at the time, was driving westbound on State Road 80 at approximately 2 a.m. when he told police he reached for his cell phone and lost control of the vehicle. He ended up swerving his truck and overturned onto its roof.
During the rollover, passenger Martin Salvadore Nicolas, 20, sustained serious head injuries when his head partially came out of the passenger window and struck the pavement. Nicolas was transported to St. Mary's Medical Center, where he died 17 days later.
After the crash, Carrio left the scene without rendering aid to Nicolas and hid in the woods nearby. Police were unable to locate Carrio that night.
The next morning, investigators found Carrio at his residence, where he lived with the victim's family. When questioned, Carrio admitted to driving the vehicle and said he fled because he was scared of being arrested, according to the report.
Carrio told investigators he had been drinking alcohol and did not have a valid driver's license. He eventually called a friend for transportation home and never contacted 911.
The crash scene contained numerous beer cans and bottles, with investigators noting an "overwhelming" smell of alcoholic beverages in and around the vehicle.
Records show Carrio had a prior arrest for driving without a license and had an outstanding warrant for failing to appear in court on that case at the time of the fatal crash.
Carrio was arrested over five years after the crash, on April 21, 2026. He is being held at the Palm Beach County Jail on a $500,000 bond.
