By Ciara Perez, Senior Multimedia Correspondent
iSkyNews.com (ISN) – Published July 1, 2026
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LAKELAND, Fla. — A 41-year-old Lakeland man has been arrested after deputies say he caused a crash involving an ambulance transporting a patient and then fled the scene Tuesday morning.
According to information sent directly to iSkyNews.com by the Polk County Sheriff's Office (PCSO), the crash occurred at approximately 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday, June 30, 2026, along Harden Boulevard near Ariana Street in Lakeland.
Investigators said the ambulance was traveling northbound on Harden Boulevard and was not operating in emergency mode at the time of the collision. Deputies say a southbound white Volkswagen Jetta made a U-turn directly in front of the ambulance before entering its lane, causing the two vehicles to collide.
Rather than stopping after the crash, authorities say the driver of the Jetta left the scene.
A paramedic who was riding in the back of the ambulance during the collision suffered a minor neck injury and was transported to a local hospital for treatment.
Deputies later tracked the registered vehicle to a nearby residence, where the owner told investigators her nephew had been driving the car.
According to PCSO, deputies found 41-year-old Gregory McManus asleep on a couch inside the home. After being awakened, McManus allegedly admitted he had been involved in the crash but claimed the ambulance driver was responsible.
However, investigators say onboard video from the ambulance showed McManus caused the collision.
McManus was taken into custody and transported to the Sheriff's Processing Center.
"Gregory McManus not only caused the crash, he fled from the scene without checking on anybody, and then had the audacity to claim the other driver was at fault. He was vulgar and rude to the deputy and had to be removed from the patrol car after he refused to get out of it. I doubt there is a responsible bone in his body," Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said.
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| 41-year-old Gregory McManus / PCSO |
McManus is charged with:
- Leaving the Scene of a Crash with Injury (Third-Degree Felony)
- Resisting an Officer Without Violence (First-Degree Misdemeanor)
The investigation remains active.
Source: Polk County Sheriff's Office, sent directly to iSkyNews.com
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