Carjacking Victim Found In Park

A Collier County deputy came upon a suspicious vehicle on Seagrape Drive near park headquarters just after noon on Monday, June 11th. As he approached it, he heard a woman screaming from the car’s trunk. When he released her, she told him that she’d been carjacked in the Port Charlotte area, about 100 miles north of the park, around 7:30 a.m. that morning. An armed man had approached her when she was stopped at a stop sign and forced his way into her car. He told her to continue driving, asked her for money, then rifled through her purse but found nothing. After driving around aimlessly, he told her that they had to ditch the car. He directed her to Seagrape Drive, forced her into the trunk, then evidently left the area. It appears that only 15 to 20 minutes passed before the deputy came upon her. County officers and rangers coordinated a joint response, patrolling the few roads, parking lots and buildings in the area by car, nearby waters by boat, grounds by foot with a canine unit, and the entire area by air with two helicopters. The suspect was not found. The county’s major crimes unit is leading the investigation. The FBI is monitoring the case. As a safety precaution, a lockdown of park headquarters and the visitor center was ordered at the onset of the incident. After more information was obtained, employees were sent home early and rangers conducted a staged evacuation of buildings, first clearing vehicles in the lot, then escorting employees to them.