Driver Charged With Hit-and-Run in Boca Raton After Cybertruck ‘Autopilot’ Accident

Raul Quintana (Photo: Palm Beach County Jail)

A motorist was charged in a hit-and-run crash with a bicyclist on Spanish River Boulevard in Boca Raton this week, allegedly telling cops his Tesla Cybertruck was on “autopilot” and driving on the wrong side of the road.

Raul Quintana, 58, of Miami, was arrested following the April 8 accident that occurred at 11:04 p.m. in the small area of Spanish River Boulevard in between Federal Highway and the bridge that crosses the intracoastal waterway to the barrier island. According to a police report, the victim was crossing the street northbound on her bicycle in the marked pedestrian crosswalk when the suspect vehicle, a dark-colored Tesla Cybertuck, was traveling eastbound in the westbound lanes and hit her.

Witnesses at the scene told police the suspect vehicle continued into Publix parking lot at Federal Highway, “failing to stop to render aid to the pedestrian,” the report said. A witness was able to get a license plate from the vehicle, leading police to obtain the phone number of a person of interest. The report states that during the phone call, the suspect allegedly admitted hitting the pedestrian, but continued on because he saw her stand up and thought she was “okay.”

The suspect, later identified as Quintana, agreed to meet officers at Sand Pine Park, several blocks north of the scene of the accident, where he is alleged to have told them his Cybertruck was driving on the wrong side of the road while it was in “autopilot” mode.

“The suspect is willing to provide that video once Tesla sends it to him,” the report states.

The victim suffered a minor injury to her right knee and expressed pain in her left shoulder, but refused medical attention on scene, according to the report. Quintana was charged with leaving the scene of an accident causing injuries. He was booked into the Palm Beach County Jail and released a short time later after posting $5,000 bond.