PUTNAM COUNTY, Fla. — A man critically injured in a crash in Putnam County Tuesday morning was riding a motorcycle that was reported stolen in Jacksonville, the Putnam County Sheriff's Office confirmed to First Coast News. Duval County court records show Jeremiah Riddle, 39, is also accused of failing to appear in court on stolen vehicle charges from 2023.
Deputies said the driver of a motorcycle was seen "acting suspicious" at a Race Way gas station in Palatka by an undercover officer inside an unmarked vehicle.
The undercover officer notified a uniform patrol deputy who looked up the motorcycle's tag and discovered it had been reported stolen from Jacksonville.
Law enforcement issued a notice to be on the lookout for the motorcycle, and the uniformed deputy located it at Riddle at South Palm Avenue and Silver Lake Drive, according to PCSO.
The deputy attempted to conduct a traffic stop on Riddle. As he got out of his patrol vehicle, Riddle fled the scene, PCSO said.
The deputy got back into his vehicle and began a short pursuit on the motorcycle.
According to a Florida Highway Patrol crash report, the motorcyclist ran a stop sign at the intersection of Edgemoor Street and Husson Avenue when he was involved in a crash with a Chevrolet Equinox in the intersection around 8:40 a.m. Tuesday morning.
The distance between the initiated traffic stop and the crash was roughly half a mile apart, according to the PCSO.
The motorcyclist was taken to HCA Orange Park Hospital with critical injuries, FHP said.
The 53-year-old Palatka man driving the SUV was not injured.
Riddle faces stolen vehicle charges in Jacksonville
Riddle's alleged theft of the motorcycle comes less than a year after he was arrested for theft of a motor vehicle by the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office.
According to a JSO arrest report, Riddle was charged after he was accused of stealing a motor scooter from a residence on Silver Street in Jacksonville's Springfield area on June 21, 2023.
Riddle posted bond in November, but failed to report back to JSO's Pretrial Services Unit the day after his release, court records show. Riddle was set to be in Duval County court on Jan. 4, but failed to appear.
On Friday, an order was filed for Riddle's bond to be forfeited due to his failure to appear in court which is a breach of his bond, according to court records.