ORANGE PARK – A man suspected of leaving the scene of a deadly accident was arrested nearly 18 months later after DNA results confirmed he was the driver who ran away from the scene after running a red light near the Orange Park Mall.

Sorie Anthony Christo Brown, 38, of Middleburg, was charged with vehicular homicide, leaving the scene of an accident without leaving information or rendering assistance and driving with a suspended license, resulting in a death after the Florida Highway Patrol arrived at a crash scene on Blanding Boulevard in front of the Orange Park Mall on Feb. 6, 2023, and found three cars crashed in the intersection.

The driver of an Acura said that when she had a green turn arrow to turn north onto Orange Park, a Dodge Durango ran through the intersection and collided with a Chevrolet SUV driven by Jerry Stepp, causing Stepp’s SUV to overturn twice. Debris from that collision struck Nagwa Azer’s Acura.

According to the accident report, the driver of the Durango ran away. Stepp, 22, of Middleburg, died three days later from his injuries.

FHP and Clay County Sheriff’s Office deputies interviewed Brown several times, but he denied being the driver. FHP officers collected DNA evidence from the deployed airbags inside the Durango, eventually matching Brown.  It took several months for the DNA to be processed, leading to the arrest delays.

CCSO arrested Brown later that night on an active Duval County warrant for driving under the influence. According to the affidavit for the arrest report, CCSO and FHP said Brown had "multiple" DUI convictions. As they arrested him, they noticed fresh burns on Brown’s forearms caused by the airbags deploying.

The FHP obtained information from Brown's Durango's Event Data Recorder (black box), which revealed that he didn’t stop at the intersection. In fact, the FHP said he pressed the accelerator to 95% “to run the red light.”

Brown’s bond was set at $750,000. His next court appearance will be on July 22.