Police are one step closer to solving a violent hit-and-run in Fort Lauderdale

Caroline Ghisolfi
·2 min read

A child protective investigator stumbled upon a damaged white Ford Mustang in Fort Lauderdale Friday, bringing investigators one step closer to solving a nearly fatal hit-and-run.

Donald McCalla, from the Broward Sheriff’s Office, was conducting a child abuse investigation when he noticed a “strategically parked” car with a temporary tag and a missing side mirror that had suffered significant damage to the front passenger side, according to Fort Lauderdale Police.

McCalla’s report allowed police to match the car to the felony hit-and-run that left Lynn Hessley with a fractured skull, pelvis and legs on the night of July 3 near Sebastian Street Beach.

This Ford Mustang, recovered with the assitance of Broward Sheriff’s Office Child Protective Investigator Donald McCalla, was responsible for the hit-and-run that nearly killed a woman in Fort Lauderdale on July 3, police say
This Ford Mustang, recovered with the assitance of Broward Sheriff’s Office Child Protective Investigator Donald McCalla, was responsible for the hit-and-run that nearly killed a woman in Fort Lauderdale on July 3, police say

Hessley, a 40-year-old former radio host in Rochester, New York, was crossing the intersection of A1A and Seville Street to take a picture of the moon for her family when the speeding Mustang knocked her to ground and left with another car that has not been identified yet, the Herald reported.

Around midnight, she was rushed to emergency brain surgery at Broward Health Medical Center, where she is recovering.

The tip came just days after Hessley celebrated her 40th birthday. Her sisters, Lisa and Jennifer Hessley, who celebrated with her virtually with the help of hospital staff, said McCalla’s report was the best gift she could have received.

“Lynn’s a fighter and she’s done a tremendous job in this recovery process, but I think this is a really important piece of closure for her,” Lisa Hessley told police.

Fort Lauderdale Police publicly thanked McCalla for his assistance in the case.

“If Investigator McCalla ignored his observations or delayed providing them to our agency, this vehicle may have been repaired before our team would have had the opportunity to match the evidence left behind at the scene to the suspect vehicle,” said Fort Lauderdale Police Sergeant DeAnna Greenlaw in a press release.

Greenlaw urges anyone with information relating to this incident to call 954-828-5825.

You can help the Hessley family cover Lynn’s medical expenses and read regular updates on her recovery on her GoFundMe page.