Officials say a 21-year-old survived and was arrested; two men, ages 20 and 22, were found dead in the water.
DEERFIELD BEACH, Fla. — The Broward Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday identified three suspected car burglars tied to a pre-dawn crash that sent an SUV into a Deerfield Beach lake on Tuesday, killing two occupants and leaving a third under arrest on multiple burglary charges.
Investigators said the incident began just before 4 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 27, when deputies responded to reports of vehicle break-ins in the 700 block of Deer Creek Emerald Way West. As deputies arrived, the suspects left in an SUV. The vehicle later entered a lake near Lakeside Way and Lakeside Drive. Divers recovered two bodies from the water and a survivor was taken into custody. The case now centers on how the flight unfolded, who was behind the wheel, and what charges could follow beyond the burglary counts already filed.
Authorities identified the survivor as 21-year-old Pledidson Jeansam Philibert. He faces five counts of burglary of an unoccupied conveyance and three counts of conspiracy to commit burglary of an unoccupied conveyance. The men who died were identified as 22-year-old Weekenley Felix and 20-year-old Ashly Rosier. BSO spokesperson Carey Codd said deputies first responded around 3:50 to 4 a.m. to the Deer Creek neighborhood after a burglary call. Home surveillance video from the community shows a man running between parked cars moments before squad lights appear. “After deputies arrived, at some point, the driver of the suspect vehicle fled the area and crashed into a lake,” Codd said.
Recovery efforts stretched from early morning into midday Tuesday. Divers located the submerged SUV and brought Felix and Rosier to shore, where both were pronounced dead. Dispatch audio captured the urgency as the scene unfolded, with a deputy reporting that two people were “40 or 50 feet” from the bank and had gone under with the vehicle. Investigators have not publicly said who was driving or how fast the SUV was moving as it left the neighborhood and reached the lake. Philibert made it out of the water on his own and was detained nearby, officials said.
The crash happened near a cluster of retention lakes and canals that border residential streets in central Deerfield Beach. Neighbors told reporters the community had seen recent car break-ins, leading some residents to check security cameras when they heard sirens. The lake where the SUV came to rest is lined by grassy banks and low walls, with few barriers between the road and the water. Deputies marked tire tracks and debris on the shoreline Tuesday as detectives mapped the path of the vehicle from the Deer Creek address to the crash site roughly a mile away.
Investigators said the burglary probe continues alongside a traffic homicide investigation. Detectives are reviewing neighborhood surveillance footage, processing the SUV, and awaiting autopsy findings from the medical examiner to confirm causes of death for Felix and Rosier. Philibert’s first court appearance on the burglary charges is expected after booking, and additional counts could be considered if evidence supports them. Officials have not announced whether any pursuit occurred or whether deputies attempted to stop the SUV before it entered the lake.
By Wednesday afternoon, crime scene tape was down but patrols remained in the area. A few residents left flowers near the water’s edge. “This is a quiet place most nights,” one neighbor said, adding that flashing lights woke families before dawn. Another resident said the sight of divers working in the dark was “hard to watch” as the neighborhood waited for word from officials. BSO urged anyone with additional video from overnight hours to share it with detectives as they reconstruct the chain of events.
As of Thursday morning, Philibert remained the only person in custody as detectives worked to complete interviews and accident-reconstruction reports. The medical examiner’s findings and any dashcam or bodycam reviews are expected to guide the next steps in the case.
Author note: Last updated January 30, 2026.