BRANDON, Fla. — As investigators continue piecing together the events leading up to the death of a Florida Road Ranger on Interstate 75, the victim's mother is speaking about the son she says dedicated his life to helping others.
The Florida Highway Patrol says 24-year-old Antonio Marazita was killed Sunday night while assisting at the scene of a two-vehicle crash on I-75 near Lutz.
Investigators say the driver accused of striking him, Darren Jenkins, had been arrested for DUI in Georgia last month and was involved in a hit-and-run crash in Ocala earlier Sunday before traveling south into Pasco County. Jenkins is charged with DUI manslaughter and remains in the Pasco County Jail without bond.
For Antonio's mother, Joi Marazita, the tragedy is almost impossible to comprehend.
"I didn't know that he was going to go work on Sunday and not come home," she said.
Marazita said she is struggling to imagine life without her only son.
Antonio had worked as a Florida Road Ranger for about a year while studying criminology. His dream was to become a police officer.
"He wanted to take care of people. He wanted to protect the community," his mother said. "And him going out into that job every day, I thought that's what he was doing."
Instead, while helping motorists after a crash Sunday night, investigators say he was struck and killed by a suspected impaired driver.
"This is hard," Marazita said. "I just planned his funeral. And I should not have had to plan my 24-year-old son's funeral."
Antonio's death highlights the dangers faced by Florida Road Rangers, who work along busy highways assisting stranded motorists and responding to crashes.
According to the Florida Department of Transportation, there have been more than 200 crashes involving Road Rangers over the past decade, and several Road Rangers have been killed since the program began in 1999. FDOT says the biggest threats are distracted, impaired, and speeding drivers, as well as motorists who fail to comply with Florida's Move Over Law.
The dangers of the job were never far from Joi Marazita's mind. Two of Antonio's brothers-in-law also work as Road Rangers, and she said she often worried about all of them.
Now, she hopes her son's death serves as a reminder for drivers to slow down and move over when they see emergency responders and roadside workers.
"Slow down. Respect the fact that they are doing their job," she said. "If it was you in that accident, you would have wanted them to be there."
Antonio Marazita's funeral is scheduled for Saturday.
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For more than 15 years, Erik Waxler has called Pasco County home. He’s dedicated to helping his neighbors from New Port Richey to Dade City solve problems and celebrating those who help others. Share your ideas and tips with Erik below.
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