Body found next to I-95 construction site near Fort Lauderdale, FHP says
.jpg "Florida Highway Patrol troopers are investigating how a man’s body ended up next to I-95 near Fort Lauderdale Tuesday morning, Jan. 27, 2026.")
A man’s body was found at a construction site next to Interstate 95 near Fort Lauderdale Tuesday morning, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
How he ended up there, however, is under investigation by the state agency.
A construction worker found the 24-year-old man around 8 a.m. near the Marina Mile Yacht Center next to the southbound express lanes of I-95.
The FHP has not released the man’s name, but said he is from Pompano Beach and was reported missing Monday. Pompano Beach is policed by the Broward Sheriff’s Office.
It was not immediately clear which agency took the missing persons report, but it was not BSO, a spokesperson for that agency told the Miami Herald.
The man was last seen leaving his workplace around midnight Sunday going into Monday, said Lt. India Miranda with the FHP. Miranda said the FHP will not release his name until the agency finishes its investigation.
Fort Lauderdale police were the first to respond, but supervisors on the scene determined the site where the body was found was not in the department’s jurisdiction, said Det. Kerri Hagerty, a spokeswoman for the department.
Investigators used location data from the man’s cellphone that placed him driving eastbound on I-595. The investigators also found he made a 911 call from his phone reporting a vehicle crash, Miranda said, adding the call was disconnected. Miranda did not say what time the call was made.
Troopers found the man’s 2025 Tesla abandoned on I-595 some time Monday, Miranda said, noting it appeared to have been in a crash. But the body wasn’t in the car.
The Broward County Medical Examiner’s Office determined the man had “significant trauma consistent with a fall from the roadway above,” said Miranda, referring to the elevated I-595. Investigators initially believe the man fell about 45 feet from I-595 and landed in a marshy area, then crawled to where the construction worker found his body, Miranda said.
The Tesla had an on-board camera, and its footage showed it had crashed into construction equipment and another vehicle on I-95 before ending up on the shoulder of I-595, Miranda said. The footage did not show the man falling off the highway, Miranda added.
Miranda said the incident is still “an active criminal investigation,” and said troopers did not immediately connect the discovery of the body with the abandoned Tesla Monday because the missing persons report for the man was not filed until Tuesday.
She noted that troopers have 10 days to complete crash reports.
“Troopers have that time to obtain more information to close the crash appropriately and follow up,” said Miranda.
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
This story was originally published January 27, 2026 at 6:04 PM.
