Last Updated: 5:07 p.m.
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office, assisted by the new FireFlight emergency helicopter, were engaged in a pursuit of someone driving a metallic-blue Ferrari at speeds of up to 110 or 120 mph through the heart of Palm Coast early this afternoon.
By 2:30 p.m., authorities had located the vehicle. By 3 p.m., they had the house at 9 Royal Palm Lane surrounded and were attempting to negotiate with two suspects, who had hidden the stolen car under a tarp as U.S. Marshals were also called in. One of the two suspects was in custody within minutes.
“We have one person in custody and we may be looking for another person,” Sheriff Rick Staly said late this afternoon. “We have limite information, but we’re working with Rhode Island authorities on what was reported to them as a home invasion robbery with armed individuals. So they drove the stolen vehicle back to Florida, it hit technology in St. Johns County. They pursued into Flagler, we joined them and spotted and found the vehicle. It was hiding behind a house under a tarp. we created a perimeter and my SWAT team was activated, but another good job by my team to deescalate and get them out.”
Both the house at Royal Palm Lane and the stolen car have been secured. Search warrants are being acquired to search both, which will prolong the police presence in the area, and the Crime Scene Investigation unit will be part of the search.
“There is the possibility of another individual, but we’re still investigating all of that,” the sheriff said. “We don’t believe there’s an immediate threat to the people there, but we do potentially still have somebody on the loose. But again this is a very active and fluid investigation. The perimeter will be there for a while.”
The car was reported stolen in Rhode Island and “hit” a license plate reader initially in St. Johns County. The car’s owner had lost the ability to track it by GPS. It isn’t clear if St. Johns authorities initiated the pursuit there. The Ferrari took I-95 in St. Johns, and exited in Flagler County. More than a dozen Flagler Sheriff’s units were involved in the pursuit.
The Sheriff’s Office identified the two people aboard the Ferrari as Johnathan Costa, 19, and Logan Slezak, 18, driving a blue 2018 Ferrari 488 Spyder. They are wanted in connection with an armed home invasion and vehicle theft in Rhode Island, the agency said.
Nearing 1 p.m., a witness saw the Ferrari speeding southbound on Belle Terre Parkway at over 100 mph through midday traffic, swerving into the turn lane for Buddy Taylor Middle School, and apparently grazing past a child on a bicycle there. “He was making some cuts, and I mean it’s an underestimate of 110 of how fast he was going,” the witness said. “It scared me. I saw a kid on a bicycle in the center isle.”
The witness then saw over a dozen sheriff’s units speed by. The stolen vehicle then went into the W Section, where doorbell-type surveillance video enabled the Sheriff’s Office–through its Real Time Crime Center–to identify the vehicle passing by a house on Whippoorwill Drive. But authorities may have lost visual contact with the car by then.
“We had four schools go into a secure status for a brief time,” Flagler schools’ district spokesman Don Foley said: Rymfire Elementary, Matanzas High School, Wadsworth Elementary and Buddy Taylor Middle School. The number of schools involved somewhat trace the itinerary of the pursuit. “They have all been cleared from their status and are experiencing normal dismissal right now,” at least in the high and middle schools that dismiss first.
“Now he’s somewhere in our county, ducking out,” another witness who had knowledge of the pursuit said, “somewhere in the W Section.” Deputies had also fanned out at key nodes in the city, including Palm Coast Parkway.
A Sheriff’s spokesperson said deputies “scaled it way down, they thought they had him in a particular area, but they’re all prepared at different locations.” The search is ongoing. Past 2:30 p.m., authorities had located the vehicle at a property in the R-Section, dissimulated beneath a tarp.
Below is FireFlight’s search path over the W and R Sections until it flew back to the coounty airport around 2 p.m.:
Greg says
He flew by us twice on 95 south going probable 120 or better. Never saw so mand cop cars in my life. At one time he was behind the cops on 95. Just had exited or hid for a bit.
me says
Crime doesn’t pay, you will get caught. Great job as always FCSO and all those involved.
tommy thompson says
a kid on a bike at 1 pm is more than likely ditching school.
Fed Up With Transplants and their Stupid Kids says
Obviously there’s a parental connection in the great City of Scum Coast. This wouldn’t have been news if those parents had not transplanted themselves to Florida and stayed put in Rhode Island or wherever they came originated from and given their snot nose kids some much needed discipline.
Yankee Noodle says
And where were you born? Once again ITT a Northern company developed Palm Coast and heavily advertised to no end to Northerners. You bumpkins were smart enough to know your farm equipment would rust out near the intracoastal and beach. So, all this swamp and hunting land yal were too lazy to develop became OUR home and we made it thrive. Palm Coast was never a transplant town, Florida itself is so transient its ridiculous. I guess this one just sailed right by you? One of your vey own Good ole boys. Made national news.
https://flaglerlive.com/bunnell-horseman-cowart/
https://www.wesh.com/article/man-rides-horse-under-the-influence-police-say/4418563
Flagler County had a horrible History. This was you and the rest of Florida’s version of paradise
“Flagler County was the last county in the state of Florida to desegregate the public school system in 1970.”
https://www.news-journalonline.com/story/news/local/flagler/2020/02/12/new-book-traces-history-of-flaglers-black-residents/1721594007/
no no says
This is how we do it
UP NORTH !!@@
Clark says
When you get a chance check out what state is number two in drive by shootings and don’t try to blame it on transplants. I’ll give you a hint about what the first six letters are – FLORID.
Fed Up With Stupid Too says
Article I just read suggest NOT A TRANSPLANT. Lives in Rhode Island.
Garry Hills says
Before you go calling people stupid, these kids DO live in Palm Coast on Royal Palm Lane…
Fed Up With Stupid Too says
Gary, I did not call anyone stupid. I was replying to “Fed Up With Transplants………
It’s a little annoying to read this transplant crap because with the exception of kids, and infants and young adults every person here is a transplant. When Palm Coast was born did eggs pop open with people in it? Below is why I posted my comment:
Per FCSO
Through investigative means, detectives determined that Costa had a friend who resided on Royal Palm Lane in Palm Coast. Believing that Costa could possibly be hiding there, a be-on-the-lookout was issued for the area.
The driver of the vehicle, identified as Johnathan Costa, 19, of Cranston, Rhode Island, was wanted by the Cranston, RI Police Department and was reported to be armed and dangerous.
PC Local says
Must be nice to be a keyboard warrior. Two young people just ruined their lives. If you hate “Scum Coast” that much… GO the hell back up north. I’m sure that’s where you are from.
JimboXYZ says
I noticed an abandoned BMX in the center green area on Belle Terre between Pritchard & Whiteview earlier this evening ? Maybe that was where the child on the bike was ? What I read on Facebook, the Costa in his starring role as Palm Coast’s most recent village idiot, was alone in the Ferrari. Not sure who the other person was at the house ? Since the Ferrari was covered at the house, is that aiding & abetting ?
Per FCSO Facebook:
“UPDATE #2: Costa has been arrested. Slezak was determined not to have been in the vehicle and is not believed to be in Flagler County.”
Not worth the money says
Let me get this straight: A Ferrari.. stolen from RI.. was driven to FL.. and no one noticed it was stolen the entire trip? That says a lot about Farrari (Bland, blends in, humm drumm, looks like I duno.. maybe a Camry).
And, it took until Florida to “hit” a plate reader? Wow.
Joe says
A Ferrari in PC should be easy to find when all you see round PC are pick up trucks.
A Concerned Observer says
It is my sincere and fervent hope that these two “FITs” (Felons In Training) are NOT treated as poor, misunderstood children that deserve counselling and guidance from their loving parents rather than any time behind bars. I tire of bleeding hearts who keep mollycoddling dangerous, ruthless and utterly careless criminals as poor little children. There comes a point where the public at large rightly deserve to be protected from these thugs. These two have gone way past the state of deserving youthful protection for children.
C says
related case??
https://www.yahoo.com/gma/couple-lamborghini-kidnapped-beaten-while-075019225.html