Strangers help family after driver slams into car and takes off

Some strangers came to the rescue after a driver took off, after hitting a family's car, authorities say.

Eve Ortega says she was in her car waiting at a red light with her husband and her 84-year-old father, when she was hit from behind.  Investigators say it happened at the intersection of Lake Underhill and Dean Road on Thursday morning.

"All of a sudden a car hit us really hard from the back," she explained. "We were very scared, too scared to move. Frustrated, because impotent, I couldn't follow him."

Eve says the other driver got out of his car, and then quickly took off.  According to troopers with the Florida Highway Patrol, these victims of the hit-and-run were also injured.  

"Have a lot of pain in neck and back," said Eve's husband Moises.

After the hit-and-run, investigators say the suspect tried cutting through a gas station, trying to get away.
But Eve says that's when strangers stepped in to help.

"Angels, just angels, God. They were there just to protect us. Otherwise we wouldn't catch the guy, we wouldn't risk it."

Jean Woods and her husband saw the crash and followed the suspect.

"We blocked him from behind and he was already blocked from moving forward."

Troopers arrested 24-year-old Joshua David Perez.

"My first thought was I can see this happening to me and I would only hope someone would do the same thing for me."

And troopers say, Perez told them that he had never been in a crash before and panicked. He is charged with leaving the scene of a crash with injuries. He's bonded out of jail.