FAMILY PLEADS: WE NEED YOUR HELP
Their brother died last month when car hit his motorcycle on I-95.
LANTANA — Weeks after the Labor Day weekend hit-and-run crash that killed their brother, Sonny Scheinberg and Jillian Halkidis pleaded Friday for the public’s help and asked the person responsible to come forward.
“Our family is absolutely devastated,” Sonny Scheinberg said as Florida Highway Patrol investigators released a sketch of a man they want to question in the Sept. 2 crash that killed Kevin Scheinberg as he drove his motorcycle on Interstate 95 in Boca Raton.
Scheinberg, 36, died that night in a crash in the northbound lanes near Yamato Road when a vehicle changing lanes crashed into his motorcycle and caused him to lose control of it, FHP said.
“We need the public’s help. We are begging you,” Sonny Scheinberg said. “Imagine this is your brother, your son, your father. This was our big brother and he’s gone, and all we can do to get closure is find the person
responsible.”
FHP investigators believe the man depicted in the sketch was involved in the crash and that he drove a dark-colored 2015 or newer model Chrysler 200 sedan.
The Chrysler’s driver stopped shortly after the crash, but left when paramedics arrived. A dashboard camera video released last month by FHP shows the Chrysler driver at the scene.
Investigators say the driver is believed to be in his early to mid-
30s, with a muscular build and short hair.
“We don’t know why he stayed and then why he left,” FHP spokesman Sgt. Mark Wysocky said. “Maybe he heard people talking that the person’s condition was getting worse and maybe he just decided to leave . ... There’s so many reasons that people leave the scene, and unfortunately hit-and-runs continue to increase.”
A witness who spoke to the Chrysler’s driver gave a description to FHP investigators, Wysocky said. Investigators also recovered pieces of a red reflector from the scene. The Chrysler likely had minor damage on the right rear fender.
“It’s not going to be noticeable right away,” Wysocky said. “With only that small reflector missing — and it can easily be replaced — is the problem that we have, because people aren’t even going to notice it. That’s why really need the public’s help.”
Since her brother’s death, Sonny Scheinberg has vowed that she will not rest until the person responsible for the crash is found.
“We won’t give up,” she said Friday. “We’re relentless and we love our brother and we owe it to him to keep fighting until we find this person.”
Halkidis described the loss of her brother as a nightmare for her entire family.
“He walked up to him and saw him on the ground. How do you live your life knowing what you did?” she said.
Scheinberg recalled how much Kevin loved riding on his motorcycle.
“He loved it. It made him feel free,” she said. “But never did I think this that would be the end result of it. We not only have to deal with the loss of our brother, but we’re having to deal with trying to find the person who took our brother from us, and it makes it 10 times worse.” Staff photographer Lannis Waters contributed to this report. jwhigham@pbpost.com Twitter: @JuliusWhigham