FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. — The Flagler County Sheriff's Office arrested a 19-year-old on Tuesday after a dangerous high-speed chase. The driver, Johnathan Costa, was wanted in Rhode Island for stealing a Ferrari Spider during a home invasion a few days earlier, according to deputies.
The St. Johns County Sheriff's Office reported the stolen vehicle to FCSO around noon that day. Authorities said Costa fled from deputies during an attempted traffic stop and was driving into Flagler County.
That's when FCSO deputies were dispatched to the county line. After finding the car, they attempted a traffic stop but Costa reportedly continued to travel over 100 mph.
With help from Florida Highway Patrol, stop sticks were placed on multiple roadways in the car's direction and Interstate 95 and US 1 were temporarily shut down. Deputies continued to chase through a school zone on Belle Terre Parkway before eventually slowing down and losing sight of Costa.
According to FCSO, Chief David Williams located the Ferrari sometime later at a residence in Palm Coast that belonged to Costa's friend. Costa attempted to hide the Ferrari with red and blue tarps, but authorities said the car was still fully visible from the roadway.
Deputies said they were able to arrest Costa after a 20-minute negotiation. There were no collisions or injuries reported during the high-speed chase.
At first, law enforcement believed Costa was traveling with another suspect, Logan Slezak. However, detectives determined Slezak wasn't present and was believed to still have been in Rhode Island. The Flagler County Sheriff's Office said Slezak turned himself in to the North Providence Police Department and was taken into custody by the Cranston Police Department in Rhode Island within hours of Costa's arrest.
