‘Had a heart of gold.’ Mother pleads for help finding driver who killed son on I-95.
A mother is pleading with the community to help find one of two drivers who struck and killed her 27-year-old son on a foggy Interstate 95 in Broward County early on New Year’s Eve.
“I’m a single mom. His brother, sister and I are just wrecked without him,” a crying Monica Jones said on the phone Friday. “He just had heart surgery [in April 2019] to save his life.”
Her son, Skyler Mark Jones of Fort Lauderdale, was attempting to cross the interstate’s southbound lanes from west to east when a 2014 Honda CR-V collided with him Tuesday, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
He was then struck by another car near the Hallandale Beach Boulevard exit.
It happened around 6:30 a.m., when Broward County and the rest of South Florida were still under a dense fog advisory.
The Honda driver waited for troopers to arrive. The other driver sped off. The make and model of the hit-and-run driver’s car are unknown.
Skyler Jones died at the scene from his injuries.
“Somebody must know something,” his mother said. “The car has to be damaged.”
Her son was 6’2, went to the gym every day and weighed around 200 pounds, she said. He attended the private Calvary Christian Academy and then Cardinal Gibbons High School in Fort Lauderdale, where he played football. He graduated in 2011.
Monica Jones said they eventually moved to Denver, Colorado, and recently returned in April for his surgery. He was going to start school this year to become a paramedic and loved snowboarding, she said.
“He had everything in the world to live for,” Monica Jones said.
Troopers who are investigating his death say they don’t know why he was on the interstate. His mother says he went with his friends to eat dinner in the Boca Raton area. She doesn’t know why he ended up near Hallandale Beach.
“He wouldn’t leave me on purpose,” his mom said. “They [his friends] left him and Skyler was trying to get home.”
He checked in with her throughout the night, like he always did.
He texted her “I love you, I’m fine” and sent her a red heart emoji around midnight. It was their last conversation.
“I’m begging the community. There has to be damage to the vehicle,” his mother said. “He was the love of my life. He was larger than life, had a heart of gold and doesn’t deserve this. You need to turn yourself in.”
Skyler Jones leaves behind his mother, 22-year-old brother and 29-year-old sister.
Anyone with information that can help troopers find the hit-and-run driver is asked to call 911. Those interested in helping the family with his funeral expenses can donate to their GoFundMe page.
This story was originally published January 3, 2020 at 4:31 PM.
