Boca Raton ‘Parking Lot Rage’ Incident Leads to Arrest After Altercation

Jonathon Faley (Photo: Palm Beach County Jail)

A Boca Raton man faces felony charges after he allegedly punched another man in the face during an argument in a Publix parking lot, then forcibly took the man’s cellphone and threw it across the lot before fleeing, according to a Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office probable cause affidavit.

Jonathon Faley, 41, is charged with robbery by sudden snatching and felony battery in connection with the July 30 incident outside the Publix at 7060 Palmetto Park Road. An arrest warrant was issued after investigators reviewed video of the confrontation, witness statements and the victim’s injuries. He was taken into custody Aug. 12 and later bonded out of the Palm Beach County Jail.

According to the affidavit, the confrontation began just before 9:40 p.m. when a man and his adult son were walking through the parking lot toward the store. A black Tesla Model 3, later identified as registered to Faley, is alleged to have cut in front of them while traveling the wrong way in an outbound lane at a high rate of speed, nearly striking them. The vehicle continued to the store entrance and parked diagonally to drop off a passenger.

The man approached the driver’s window and confronted the driver about the near-miss, the report said, and a verbal argument followed. As the man began walking away, the driver allegedly exited the Tesla, threw a cup or drink container at him, advanced towards him and punched him in the face near the store entrance. The blow knocked the man to the ground and left a laceration across the bridge of his nose that continued to bleed. Medical evaluation later determined he suffered multiple nasal fractures.

After being struck, the man tried to photograph the Tesla’s license plate and began recording video on his cellphone while yelling that at driver, “You’re going to jail.” The driver allegedly parked a short distance away, exited a second time, chased the man through the parking lot, grabbed the phone from his hand and threw it 30 to 40 feet across the lot. The man and his son recovered the damaged phone after bystanders pointed out where it landed. The driver then fled in the Tesla.

A store employee who witnessed part of the altercation told detectives the suspect repeatedly accused the victim of spitting on him during the incident, which the victim denied. The employee said the suspect later claimed to have a firearm in the car while backing away with the phone, though no weapon was displayed or recovered. The employee helped the injured man locate the phone and clean blood from his face.

Several bystanders recorded portions of the incident but left without identifying themselves, however they did transfer the videos to the victim’s phone. The victim later uploaded the footage to a police database using a link provided by deputies. Review of the videos showed a man matching Faley’s description in a red shirt and red shorts throwing an object, striking the victim and later snatching the phone, according to the affidavit. The Tesla’s license plate number was apparently visible in one of the recordings.

Detectives matched the plate to a 2021 Tesla registered to Faley and compared his driver’s license photo to the man in the videos. The victim positively identified Faley in a photographic lineup as the person who punched him and took the phone. A store employee who witnessed the events was unable to make an identification from a separate lineup.

The victim sought hospital treatment after the incident. Staff closed the nasal laceration with medical adhesive and diagnosed multiple nasal fractures. Blood evidence collected at the scene was consistent with the sequence of events described by witnesses, the affidavit said.

Faley, after being charged following an investigation, was taken to the Palm Beach County Jail but was later released after posing a combined $4,000 bond on the felony battery and robbery charges.