FERNANDINA BEACH, Fla. – Three teenagers were arrested Thursday after a police chase led to the discovery of two stolen cars, the Fernandina Beach Police Department said.
Early Thursday morning, according to police, an officer spotted two vehicles traveling at high speeds in the area of Jasmine Street and Citrona Drive.
Police said the two vehicles, which had lights out, outdistanced the officer as they headed toward the north end of the island.
A short time later, police said, officers found both vehicles had been abandoned in different areas -- one near Tarpon Avenue and Fifth Street, and the other a half-mile south on North Fletcher Avenue near the Fernandina Beach Main Park.
Police said they learned both cars had been reported stolen -- one from Camden County, Georgia, and the other from an unincorporated area of Nassau County.
Gregg Dillingham told News4Jax that one of the stolen cars crashed into two of his vehicles in his driveway near Tarpon Avenue and Fifth Street.
"We heard a loud bang and then we came out and it looked like a tornado had hit the area," he said. "Boy, it really made it hard on us somebody stealing a car and wrecking my cars and now I’m left with all the damages."
Family members opened a donation account to help Dillingham. He said it will help pay for physical therapy and a used car.
A post on the Police Department's Facebook page originally said that one man was arrested while running through yards in the area, but was later updated to say a total of three people had been taken into custody. Police told News4Jax that the three were captured thanks to tips from the community.
According to the Police Department, Tyreeh Julius Wilkerson, 18, is charged with resisting an officer and is being held on a violation of probation warrant out of Georgia. He was booked into the Nassau County jail.
Investigators said they believe he was the driver of one of the vehicles, and a 17-year-old boy was the driver of the other vehicle.
Police said the 17-year-old is charged with fleeing and attempting to elude police, leaving the scene of a crash, trespassing and resisting an officer.
Additionally, police said, a 15-year-old girl is charged with trespassing and resisting a police officer.
The names of the 17-year-old and 15-year-old are not being released because they are minors.
Police said it's unclear whether others were involved. They asked residents on the north end of the island to be alert and call police at 904-225-5174 if they see anything out of the ordinary.