BOCA RATON, FL (Boca Post) (Copyright © 2025) — A Boca Raton man was arrested Saturday night after Florida Highway Patrol troopers said he followed a woman for more than 40 miles along Florida’s Turnpike, flashing his high beams and attempting to run her off the road as she drove north through Palm Beach County.
According to an arrest report, troopers charged Mark Ernest Hetzel, 53, with aggravated stalking, a felony under Florida law that includes following or harassing another person while making a credible threat.
The incident began around 4:21 p.m. Saturday when the Lake Worth Regional Communications Center received a call reporting a possible road rage situation on Florida’s Turnpike near mile marker 93. The caller, later identified as Amy Grace Price, told dispatchers she was traveling northbound when she noticed a black Toyota parked on the right shoulder.
As she passed the vehicle, Price reported that it merged back into traffic and began flashing its high beams at her in what she believed was an attempt to force her to pull over. She told dispatchers she recognized the driver as her ex-boyfriend, later identified as Hetzel.
Price said she feared for her life and remained on the phone with dispatchers while continuing to drive north. Troopers determined the vehicle followed her from approximately mile marker 75 to mile marker 117, a distance of about 42 miles.
Florida Highway Patrol Trooper N. Sierra stopped the suspect vehicle near mile marker 117 in Jupiter. Hetzel was identified as the sole occupant of the car.
The arrest report states that after being read his Miranda rights, Hetzel told troopers he had contacted his landlord earlier in the day and learned that Price had just left their shared residence in Margate, where the two had been living together for the past three years. He admitted waiting for her on the shoulder of the Turnpike near Glades Road.
Troopers also learned of a prior incident involving the Margate Police Department the night before. An officer advised investigators that on Dec. 19, Hetzel allegedly threatened to kill Price and sent her a text message stating, “You are dead.”
Based on the prior threats, the domestic relationship between the parties, and the alleged conduct during the pursuit, the reporting trooper determined there was probable cause to charge Hetzel with aggravated stalking under Florida Statute 784.048(3).
Hetzel was taken into custody without further incident and booked into the Palm Beach County Jail. Court records show he was arrested by the Florida Highway Patrol and initially held without bond.
At a first appearance hearing Sunday, a judge set bond at $100,000 and ordered Hetzel to have no contact with the alleged victim. A public defender was appointed for purposes of the first appearance only.
Court records indicate Hetzel is scheduled to return to court for a 30-day return hearing on Jan. 19, 2026, followed by an initial case conference on Feb. 12, 2026, in West Palm Beach.
As this investigation develops, additional police activity updates are tracked on Boca Post’s police activity page.
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