The suspect in a hit-and-run crash that killed a Chicago man and an Indiana University student in Miami Beach, Florida, earlier this week said he recalled “closing his eyes, pressing the accelerator, and hoping to die,” authorities said.
The victims, Greatgomon Laowatdhanasapya and Sarisa Kongduang, died after being taken to the hospital following the collision, NBC 6 in Miami reported.
Laowatdhanasapya, a Chicago resident, worked as a banking analyst with Bank of America and was a graduate of Indiana University, according to his LinkedIn page. Kongduang was a current student at Indiana University, a spokesperson confirmed.
The two were struck at around 9 p.m. on Wednesday by the driver of a Nissan Sentra who then ran into a nearby Walgreens, police said.
Miami Beach Police body camera video shows the arrest of Adan Negron-Morris on March 18, 2026.
The suspect, Adan Negron-Morris, 42, was ordered held on a $1 million bond Friday after being charged with vehicular manslaughter and other offenses in connection with the crash. According to a police report, Negron-Morris was involved in another hit-and-run shortly before he struck the pedestrians.
A DUI investigation was conducted, and Negron-Morris showed signs of impairment but refused to give a blood sample, though police ordered hospital staff to obtain a forced blood draw, according to the arrest report.
Negron-Morris later told investigators that he suffers from schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, anxiety and depression, and had intended to take his own life by crashing the vehicle, the report said.
He said he recalled “closing his eyes, pressing the accelerator, and hoping to die” and said after hearing the crash he stopped as soon as he could and considered leaving the scene but instead went into the Walgreens, the report stated.
Negron-Morris also said his drugs of choice are crack cocaine and marijuana but on the date of the crash he’d only had marijuana and an unknown medication provided by his girlfriend, the report said.