JACKSONVILLE, FL. (THECOUNT) — Three months after a 27-year-old woman burned to death inside her car in a fiery three-vehicle crash on University Boulevard South, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office has publicly identified the man believed responsible — and he is still on the run. Savana Pendarvis of Jacksonville was killed at the scene on the afternoon of January 2, 2026. The suspect, Alexander Rivera-Russo, fled on foot and has not been located.
Rivera-Russo is 23.
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The crash occurred at approximately 3:15 p.m. at University Boulevard South near Atlantic Boulevard, in the southeast Jacksonville area of Duval County. According to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, Rivera-Russo was operating a Dodge Challenger northbound on University Boulevard South at speeds witnesses estimated at well over 100 miles per hour when he slammed into Pendarvis’s Nissan. The force of the collision sent the Nissan spinning off the roadway and into a telephone pole, where it burst into flames. The Challenger continued out of control into southbound traffic, striking a Toyota Camry head-on. Both occupants of the Camry were transported to an area hospital with injuries and survived.
Pendarvis was pronounced dead at the scene. She could not escape the burning Nissan.
Rivera-Russo exited the Challenger and fled on foot without calling 911, rendering aid, or making any attempt to assist the victims, authorities said. Witnesses at the scene provided descriptions of the male driver. Detectives later determined the Challenger was registered to a woman — but the Sheriff’s Office confirmed the vehicle was not reported stolen. Investigators worked the case for three months before formally identifying Rivera-Russo as the suspect in late March 2026. He has not been arrested or charged as of this writing.
JSO has released Rivera-Russo’s photo on the agency’s official Facebook page and is asking anyone who recognizes him or knows his whereabouts to come forward immediately. “Somebody knows something,” the Sheriff’s Office posted on social media. “Help us bring justice to the victim’s loved ones and report what you know.”
Pendarvis, a Jacksonville resident, was remembered by her family and friends as a young woman full of promise. A GoFundMe established to assist her family described her as having “a radiant smile that outshone her golden ringlets” and as “a recent college graduate, dreaming of a career in human resources, fresh from her first trip to Europe, and excited for her cousin’s wedding and more adventures.” She lost her mother at age five and was raised by her grandmother. In the years before her death, she had taken on the role of caretaker for that same grandmother, who was preparing for breast cancer surgery at the time Pendarvis was killed.
“She left behind a ton of people who will never forget her,” Pendarvis’s stepmother told First Coast News.
University Boulevard South is a major commercial and residential corridor running through the Southside of Jacksonville, connecting the Arlington and Atlantic Beach areas to the city’s core. The stretch near Atlantic Boulevard sees heavy afternoon traffic and is lined with businesses, apartment complexes and fast food establishments. A crash at that speed, at that time of day, in that location, endangered dozens of bystanders beyond those directly involved.
Jacksonville, Florida’s most populous city and the county seat of Duval County, recorded more than 100 traffic fatalities in 2025 alone, with pedestrians and vehicle occupants both heavily represented in that toll. Hit-and-run incidents have remained a persistent challenge for the Sheriff’s Office, which has increasingly turned to public appeals, social media outreach, and Crime Stoppers reward programs to generate leads in cases where suspects flee.
Anyone with information about Rivera-Russo or his current whereabouts is urged to contact the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office directly at (904) 630-0500 or by email at JSOCrimeTips@jaxsheriff.org. To remain anonymous and be eligible for a reward, contact First Coast Crime Stoppers by calling (866) 845-8477 (845-TIPS), texting 8477, or emailing rewards@fccrimestoppers.com. Crime Stoppers recently increased its base reward to $5,000.
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