Worker on front end loader hits, kills Florida deputy Skip to main content Milford Mirror Homepage Currently Reading Worker on front end loader hits, kills Florida deputy Subscribe Subscribe e-Edition Sign In Puzzles home Sign Up for Newsletters Print Archives Subscribe Submission Guidelines Submissions News Politics & Elections Town Government Community Education Police & Fire Connecticut Cannabis Opinion Business Obituaries Sports UConn High School Sports Living Food Home and Garden Entertainment Help Delivery Problems About Us Contact Us Privacy Notice Terms of Use Shopping Advertising Features Events Classifieds Recommended Milford's Porchfest to feature 102 bands, 72 locations Milford's Beth-El center tackles local food insecurity Milford police focus on pay, hours, equity to attract officers Mack truck dealership proposed for Milford's Old Gate Lane Milford elementary school remodel work underway Stratford restaurant owners bring Italian flavor to Milford Milford restaurant shut down by health department Official: Police ups presence at Milford schools this week Milford 5K to help get running water to African villages Milford chamber expands restaurant week to include nearby cities News Worker on front end loader hits, kills Florida deputy BY CURT ANDERSON and FREIDA FRISARO, Associated Press Sep. 23, 2022 Updated: Sep. 23, 2022 8:02 p.m. Facebook Twitter Email Comments This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 8 1of8Construction workers walk from the scene in the westbound lanes of I-275 near Gandy Boulevard on Friday, Sep 23, 2022, in St. Petersburg, Fla., where Deputy Michael Hartwick, 51, was hit and killed overnight. Michael Hartwick, a Florida sheriff's deputy working an overnight shift to provide safety at a construction zone was struck and killed by a worker operating a front end loader, officials said.(Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times via AP)Douglas R. Clifford/APShow MoreShow Less 2of8Sheriff Bob Gualtieri speaks to reporters during a news conference at the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office headquarters on Friday, Sept. 23, 2022, in Largo, Michael Hartwick, a Florida sheriff's deputy working an overnight shift to provide safety at a construction zone was struck and killed by a worker operating a front end loader, officials said.(Jefferee Woo/Tampa Bay Times via AP)Jefferee Woo/APShow MoreShow Less 3of8 4of8A front end loader remains at the scene where a forensic science investigator with the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office investigates the scene on the westbound lanes of I-275 near Gandy Boulevard on Friday, Sep 23, 2022, in St. Petersburg, Fla. Michael Hartwick, a Florida sheriff's deputy working an overnight shift to provide safety at a construction zone was struck and killed by a worker operating a front end loader, officials said.(Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times via AP)Douglas R. Clifford/APShow MoreShow Less 5of8Shannon McDonald, Pinellas County Schools Police communications center supervisor, middle, and Barbara Baugher, K-9 officer, share a moment together near a make-shift memorial for Deputy Michael Hartwick, at the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office headquarters on Friday, Sept. 23, 2022, in Largo, Fla. Hartwick, a Florida sheriff's deputy working an overnight shift to provide safety at a construction zone was struck and killed by a worker operating a front end loader, officials said.(Jefferee Woo/Tampa Bay Times via AP)Jefferee Woo/APShow MoreShow Less 6of8 7of8Pinellas County sheriffs block off the interstate near I-275 and Roosevelt Blvd., where a manhunt continues on Friday, Sep 23, 2022, in St. Petersburg, Fla. Michael Hartwick, a Florida sheriff's deputy working an overnight shift to provide safety at a construction zone was struck and killed by a worker operating a front end loader, officials said.(Jefferee WooJefferee Woo/APShow MoreShow Less 8of8 ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — A Florida sheriff's deputy working an overnight shift providing safety in a construction zone was accidentally struck and killed by a worker operating a front end loader who is in the U.S. illegally, officials said Friday. Pinellas County Sheriff's Deputy Michael Hartwick had started his shift shortly before the accident happened late Thursday on Interstate 275, Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said at a pair of Friday news conferences. The initial name given by the worker, Victor Vazquez-Real, was false, Gualtieri said. His real name is Juan Ariel Molina-Salles, 32, who the sheriff said is a migrant from Honduras who arrived in March and was deported previously. “He shouldn't have been here. He shouldn't have been driving that thing,” Gualtieri said of the large road construction vehicle. “He shouldn't be working.” Molina-Salles fled from the job site on foot, allegedly with the help of a co-worker, but was eventually tracked down using bloodhounds, the sheriff said. The sheriff said Hartwick had blocked the two inside southbound lanes of the interstate and was standing on the road's shoulder when he was struck by the front end loader traveling at about 20 mph (32 kph). Hartwick died instantly. The construction worker continued driving for about one mile (1.6 kilometers) before stopping in a parking lot, the sheriff said. Gualtieri said the man then told another construction worker that he had killed a deputy. That worker took Molina-Salles' gear and hid it in a wooded area, according to the sheriff. The sheriff said Molina-Salles will be charged with leaving the scene of an accident involving death, which carries a minimum mandatory four-year prison sentence in the event of a conviction. The other construction worker is being charged with being an accessory after the fact. It was not immediately known whether Molina-Salles has a lawyer who can speak on his behalf. He had not yet been booked into jail early Friday afternoon. Most Popular Feds: Inmate coordinated large-scale fentanyl deals from Mexico to CT while incarcerated Milford's Porchfest to feature 102 bands, 72 locations Oktoberfest returning to Milford after pandemic break Police: One dead, three injured after Ledyard three-car crash Milford sees spike in new businesses: ‘Good news for the future’ Stratford restaurant owners bring Italian flavor to Milford Opinion: On Banned Books Week, a CT library director says 'we received numerous ugly complaints' Hartwick had been with the agency for 19 years. “Mike was a good guy, a good cop,” Gualtieri said. “He did his job.” The company that employs the two workers, Tampa-based Archer Western Construction, did not immediately respond to a phone call seeking comment. The company is involved in several large transportation projects in the Tampa Bay area, some involving contracts with the state of Florida. Gualtieri said he referred the matter to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which has jurisdiction over immigration issues. The office of Gov. Ron DeSantis released a statement saying the state was investigating to determine whether undocumented migrants have used fraudulent information to obtain employment with contractors working with the State of Florida. Most Popular Feds: Inmate coordinated large-scale fentanyl deals from Mexico to CT while incarcerated Milford's Porchfest to feature 102 bands, 72 locations Oktoberfest returning to Milford after pandemic break Police: One dead, three injured after Ledyard three-car crash Milford sees spike in new businesses: ‘Good news for the future’ Stratford restaurant owners bring Italian flavor to Milford Opinion: On Banned Books Week, a CT library director says 'we received numerous ugly complaints' Written By BY CURT ANDERSON and FREIDA FRISARO View Comments Return to Top About Newspaper Delivery Safety Procedures Privacy Notice Your California Privacy Rights Interest Based Ads Terms of Use Careers Advertising Contact Contact Us FAQ's E-Edition Submissions Connect Subscribe Today Facebook Twitter ©2022 Hearst