Florida police used an “unusual” method to track down a hit-and-run suspect with some help from the teenage victim and one of his earbuds.
Peter Bradford Swing, 49, was arrested Friday for allegedly hitting a 15-year-old boy riding his bicycle in Jensen Beach Wednesday at around 10:30 p.m., according to the Martin County Sheriff’s Office.
Swing is accused of fleeing the scene after hitting the teen and leaving him injured on the side of the road.
The teen’s mother explained that her son suffered multiple broken bones and a head injury during the hit-and-run, according to WKYT.
“When we have something as horrific as a human being being hit, a 15-year-old boy, then the driver is just driving off, that’s reprehensible,” Sheriff William Snyder said.
The unidentified victim was taken to a local hospital for his injuries but has since been released and is expected to make a full recovery, according to police.
And despite his injuries, the teen did have a hand in catching the suspect.
One of the victim’s earbuds flew out of his ear and landed under a floor mat inside Swing’s SUV, which ultimately led to an arrest.
“It was that earbud that provided geo tracking right to the suspect’s Jensen Beach home,” the department shared.
When police arrived at his home, they found Swing’s silver Hyundai Sante Fe, believed to be the vehicle involved in the hit-and-run, had “attempted” to be concealed out of sight.
“The passenger side of the vehicle had damage and a smashed out back window as deputies suspected it would,” the department explained.
Once deputies were able to search the inside of the suspect’s vehicle, they found the victim’s earbud wedged under a floor mat.
“It’s an unusual way to locate a hit and run crash suspect, but it worked,” the department shared.
Swing was then arrested at his home in Jensen Beach, about 40 miles North of Palm Beach, and charged with leaving the scene of a crash with great bodily injury.
“We are so happy that he was caught and that my son had a part in finding him,” the victim’s mother told the outlet.
The department said that Swing told “deputies he expected them to show up at some point, then provided a full confession into the crash” upon his arrest.
The 49-year-old suspect also told investigators that he fled the scene of the crash in a “panic” after having served time for drug charges in the past.
Swing is currently being held in jail without bond at the Martin County Jail.
If found guilty, he faces up to 15 years in prison, 15 years of probation, and a fine of up to $10,000.