A 22-year-old South Florida man is speaking out after shocking video of him clinging to the hood of a car traveling down I-95 surfaced on social media last week.
Junior Francis said the drama unfolded at his girlfriend’s house on Sunday after the two had gotten into an argument over the Mercedes-Benz C300 that they both share, Local 10 News reported. Francis said they both needed the vehicle, but his is on–again, off–again girlfriend Patresha Isidore beat him to it.
Isidore reportedly needed the car to pick up the couple’s 5-year-old daughter from a family member’s home. When she got into the car, Francis said he hopped on the hood, thinking it would stop her from leaving. It didn’t.
“She turned the engine on, dropped it in reverse and turned,” the Lauderhill man told the station. “That’s when things took a turn.”
Patresha Isidore was arrested and charged with crimes against a person exposing them to harm. (Image courtesy of Local 20 News)
Isidore wound up getting on I-95, traveling at a speed of 70 mph as the father of her child held on for dear life using only one hand. With the other, Francis said he pulled out his cell phone and dialed the police. Authorities released audio from 911 calls about the incident earlier this week, including the call from Francis in which he’s heard shouting at Isidore to stop the car.
“She’s swerving the car and I’m on top of the car. I really need help,” Francis told the emergency dispatcher.
Witness Daniel Midah, who was also traveling on the highway at the time, captured the entire incident on video.
“All I was thinking is, this guy is going to slide off and hit me, [or] slide off the other side,” Midah told Local 10 News. “Or if anything, he is going to slide down and she is going to hit him, and then she is going to crash into somebody else.”
Isidore eventually stopped the car, after which she was arrested and charged with crimes against a person exposing them to harm. She’s since been released from jail.
According to her arrest report, Francis declined to press charges against his daughter’s mother and refused to provide a sworn recorded statement. Still, he says the incident has left him shaken up.
“This woman is going to kill me,” Francis said. “She’s really out to kill me.”
