A high-speed chase between a drunk driver and Monroe County Sheriff’s Office deputies on Sunday resulted in the driver crashing his truck and jumping into the ocean in an effort to evade law enforcement.
Nicholas James Tralka, 31, was charged with hit-and-run, reckless driving, two counts of fleeing and eluding, DUI, DUI with property damage and resisting arrest without violence.
Around 3:52 a.m., a deputy spotted a truck exit a parking lot onto U.S. 1 at a high rate of speed and strike the concrete median. The deputy activated his patrol car’s lights and attempted to make a traffic stop. The driver, later identified as Tralka, looked as if he was going to pull over, as he turned on his signal and began to slow down. However, after a short period, he took off at a high speed and started the chase.
According to the report, Tralka was driving erratically throughout the chase. He was swerving all over the lanes and at times almost lost control of his vehicle. Tralka was driving in excess of 100 mph, and the deputy could only maintain visual contact due to road conditions. Tralka eventually ran over a spike strip trap and ultimately crashed his vehicle into the entrance sign of Duck Key.
However, Tralka wasn’t done running. He exited the vehicle and jumped over the sea wall into the water, where he began to swim towards Tom’s Harbor Channel. Deputies lost sight of him, and began a search. About 30 minutes later, a good Samaritan alerted law enforcement officers that Tralka was in the water hiding under the bridge. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers arrived on a boat, and Tralka advised he was giving up.
Once detained, Tralka frequently apologized, saying he ran because he was scared. When asked why, Tralka stated he had been drinking. When asked if he would participate in a field sobriety test, Tralka said “I’m already going to jail, so why?”
Paramedics responded to the scene to treat Tralka for lacerations. Following medical clearance, Tralka was taken to the Marathon DUI room, where his blood-alcohol level was recorded as .214.
Tralka was taken to the Monroe County Detention Center, where he was being held on a $35,000 bond.
Information in the Crime Report is obtained from reports provided by area law enforcement agencies.
If you have information that could help solve a crime in the Florida Keys, call Crime Stoppers, 800-346-TIPS.