Gainesville man charged with hit and run after allegedly leaving his father pinned in crashed van

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Edward Bruce Johnson, Jr., 49, was arrested yesterday after allegedly crashing a van into a tree, leaving his father pinned in the crashed van and failing to call for help, and driving without a license.

At about 11:31 p.m. on February 1, Johnson was allegedly driving a Chevy Express van that was traveling north on SW 73rd Street, failed to stop at the stop sign at SW 19th Place, and ran off the road, hitting a tree.

The responding Florida Highway Patrol Trooper reported that when he arrived, an Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputy had Johnson detained in the back of his patrol vehicle. The deputy said he found Johnson walking several blocks away from the crash and transported him back to the scene of the crash. The deputy said Johnson claimed he had been a passenger at the time of the crash and insisted that his father had been driving. The trooper reported that Johnson told him the same thing.

Another deputy told the trooper that when he arrived, Johnson’s father was seriously injured and entrapped in the front passenger seat of the van; the deputy also said that after Fire Rescue removed Johnson’s father from the van, they confirmed that his injuries were consistent with having been on the passenger side at the time of the crash.

Another trooper interviewed Johnson’s father at the hospital and reported that he was stable but had numerous serious injuries. He said Johnson’s father said he had been in the front passenger seat but would not identify the driver.

The trooper spoke to Johnson again, and he reportedly said he was in the back seat but exited the van through the front passenger door. The trooper noted that the front driver’s side door was stuck against a tree and could not be opened after the crash; also, the van had a cage separating the front two seats from the cargo area, so Johnson could not have moved from the back of the van to the front passenger door.

Johnson had minor injuries and was walking with a limp, which he reportedly said was an old injury due to a previous crash. He again reportedly said his father was driving and that his father was lying because he also did not have a valid license.

A witness was contacted by phone and said she had been driving on SW 19th Place when she saw the crashed van and turned around to go check on the crash. She said she saw a man around 50 years old who was walking away from the crash with a limp and who waved her down. She said she asked him whether she needed to call police or an ambulance, and he said not to call law enforcement, tried to pull her door open, and said he needed a ride home. She said he never mentioned that his father was entrapped in the crashed vehicle. She said she refused to give him a ride home and instead drove farther down the road before calling to report the crash.

The trooper also noted that Johnson would have had to climb over his pinned and injured father to get out of the van, and he then walked away and told the witness not to call law enforcement. The trooper reported that the only call received about the crash came from the witness.

The trooper took Johnson to an emergency room for medical clearance, and the medical staff found that Johnson had a minor fracture in his ankle.

According to the arrest report, Johnson’s license was revoked in October 2024, stemming from a DUI charge; he has a DUI conviction in Florida and “numerous” DUI charges out of New York.

Johnson was charged with felony driving without a license with two previous convictions, leaving the scene of a crash involving serious bodily injury, and leaving the scene of a crash involving property damage because he did not own the van. Judge George Wright set bail at $60,000.

Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.