Anchor: Claire Galt
•7/14/2026
LEHIGH ACRES, Fla. (WINK) — New details in a Lehigh Acres hit-and-run investigation are shedding light on what deputies believe happened the night a 16-year-old riding a mini bike was seriously hurt.
According to a newly released Lee County Sheriff's Office crash report, after talking with the teen, investigators determined the driver failed to stop at the stop sign at the intersection of Parkdale Boulevard and Homestead Road before hitting the teen.
Investigators also estimated the driver was traveling about 35 to 40 mph before the collision.
The report says detectives recovered broken vehicle debris from the scene as evidence. It also states that the driver was a man and that a woman was riding in the front passenger seat.
The teen's cousin, Ricky Mancha, says seeing his injured cousin after the crash is something he won't forget.
"He was in and out of consciousness. It was really hard to see. I didn't like seeing my cousin like that. It was really bad."
Mancha says he hopes whoever was behind the wheel is held accountable.
While investigators continue working to identify the driver, Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers says solving cases like this often depends on the public.
"There's always somebody who knows something," said Trish Routte with Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers. "Whether they saw something, or whether they've seen a car with damage that is brand new right after they hear about a hit-and-run in that relative neighborhood."
She says that even someone who notices a vehicle with fresh damage or suspicious behavior could help investigators.
"It's the guy down the street that you know has an impeccable car, and now they've got some damage to it. Maybe they're acting suspiciously. They're trying to hide the car. They've thrown a tarp on it. Little things like that can absolutely help law enforcement."
WINK News asked the Lee County Sheriff's Office why it has not released a description of the suspect vehicle. A spokesperson said the detective is still conducting analytical research based on the available information and wants to gather more before releasing a vehicle description.
Anyone with information about the hit-and-run is asked to contact the Lee County Sheriff's Office or Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers.
