PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — A Florida Highway Patrol trooper was killed Friday in a crash with a tractor-trailer while trying to catch a fleeing felon on Interstate 95, officials said.
Trooper Zachary Fink was killed in St. Lucie County, Florida, officials said. The northbound lanes of the major north-south highway were closed for several hours because of the crash.
According to FHP, Trooper Fink was pursuing a person who was driving a white Kia in a "reckless manner" and speeding on I-95 in St. Lucie County early Friday morning.
"The driver made an abrupt turn to travel the wrong direction on Interstate 95," FHP Colonel Gary Howze II said. "Trooper Fink, in an attempt to continue to apprehend the subject, and to warn unsuspecting motorists of the danger in the area, turned also with the vehicle. And unfortunately turned into the immediate path of a semi-tractor trailer, which struck the left driver's side of his patrol car."
Both Fink and the driver of the semi-truck died as a result of the crash.
The Kia kept going and eventually crashed into a tree less than two miles away. The driver then ran on foot but was taken into custody around 8 a.m.
FHP said Fink was a three-year veteran of the department and started his career in Orlando before recently transferring to Port St. Lucie.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said on social media that “our hearts go out to” the trooper's family and the Florida Highway Patrol.
Our hearts go out to the family of FHP Trooper Zachary Fink, who was killed in the line of duty while attempting to detain a fleeing felon in St. Lucie County.@CaseyDeSantis and I are praying for the Fink family and the entire FHP community. pic.twitter.com/iWYuKqrkZF
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) February 2, 2024
WPTV contributed to this report
