1 Man Dead After Fleeing From Trooper, Jumping Off Bridge

CLEARWATER, FL — One man drowned and another was seriously injured after fleeing from a Florida Highway Patrol trooper and jumping off the Howard Frankland Bridge into Tampa Bay Thursday.

At 4:10 PM, a trooper attempted to stop a vehicle that had passed his cruiser traveling at a high rate of speed along northbound Interstate 275 near the 28 milepost.

The trooper briefly followed the vehicle but, when it reached a speed of 120 miles per hour and the driver was behaving recklessly, the trooper stopped the pursuit.

The vehicle continued at a high rate of speed onto the Howard Frankland Bridge and collided with three other vehicles near the 36 milepost.

Following the crash, two people fled from the vehicle and jumped off the bridge.

The driver, identified as Joshua Richard Reed-Action, 18, was rescued and taken to the hospital with serious injuries. The passenger, identified as Jackson Torren, 16, was found dead in the bay by Tampa Fire Rescue marine units.

Troopers found a large amount of cash and narcotics in their vehicle.