BRADLEY JUNCTION, FL — Sad news this morning out of Bradley Junction. The Polk County Sheriff’s Office is reporting that a 71-year-old Lakeland man was killed in a three-vehicle crash Monday morning, November 2, 2026, after a driver apparently lost control on a rain-soaked roadway. Another driver involved in the crash fled the scene and was later arrested.
According to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded around 6:10 a.m. to 9995 State Road 37, near County Road 630, approximately 10 miles south of Mulberry.
Investigators said a 29-year-old Wimauma man was driving a 2018 Toyota Highlander northbound when he apparently lost control due to wet roadway conditions. The Toyota crossed into the southbound lanes and collided with a 2006 Ford Focus driven by the 71-year-old Lakeland man.
A third vehicle, a 2010 Honda Accord traveling southbound behind the Ford Focus, was also involved in the collision.
The Lakeland man was found deceased inside his vehicle. The Toyota driver was transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Authorities said the Honda Accord driver abandoned his vehicle and fled on foot following the crash. He was later located and identified as 26-year-old Grevil Said Cerrato, a Honduran national.
Cerrato told traffic homicide detectives he fled because he was scared, did not have a driver’s license, and was in the United States illegally.
He was arrested and charged with leaving the scene of a crash involving death, a felony, and driving without a valid license, a misdemeanor. An Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) hold was also placed on him.
State Road 37 remained closed for approximately five hours as investigators processed the scene. The crash remains under investigation.
SOURCE: POLK COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE
