Cops: Boca Raton Man Waited on Highway Shoulder, Chased Girlfriend’s Car for 42 Miles

Mark Hetzel (Photo: Palm Beach County Jail)

Police have charged a Boca Raton man with aggravated stalking after he allegedly waited on the side of Florida’s Turnpike for her vehicle to pass before giving chase for 42 miles before being arrested by state troopers.

Mark Hetzel, 53, of Boca Raton, was taken into custody along the highway Dec. 20 after the Florida Highway Patrol received a call from a woman stating that her ex-boyfriend was following her in his vehicle as she was on her way northbound, driving out of state. The alleged victim said she had entered the Turnpike near the Commercial Boulevard interchange in Broward County and, after passing the Glades Road interchange in Boca Raton, noticed a black Toyota parked in the right shoulder.

The vehicle, she said, began following her and flashing its high beams, at which point she recognized it to be that of her ex-boyfriend. She said the man, later identified as Hetzel, tried to “run her off the road,” according to a police report, and repeatedly cut her off in traffic. Troopers caught up with the vehicle at mile marker 117, pulling over the Toyota as the woman remained on the phone with dispatchers.

According to the police report, Hetzel is alleged to have admitted that he had called his landlord and found out that the woman was leaving, at which point he decided to wait for her to pass on the highway. The report said that police in Margate, Broward County, had responded to a call involving the couple the previous day after a dispute apparently led to a threatening text message having been sent.

Hetzel was lodged in the Palm Beach County Jail for one day before being released on $100,000 bond. He was charged with aggravated stalking.