WEST PALM BEACH, FL (Boca Post) (Copyright © 2026) — Palm Beach County court records show a negotiated plea and prison sentence in a fatal DUI crash case tied to a deadly collision at one of the county’s busiest corridors.
The case stems from an early-morning wreck on Oct. 11, 2024, at Southern Boulevard and Benoist Farms Road in West Palm Beach, a major east-west route used daily by commuters from across the county, including residents traveling to and from Boca Raton and other communities.
According to a Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office traffic division log entry and charging documents, Daniel Albarran Borja was driving a 2011 Chevrolet 3500HD eastbound on Southern Boulevard around 2 a.m. when he struck the rear of a 2015 Cadillac XTS that had been stopped at a red light at the Benoist Farms Road intersection. As the light cycled, the Cadillac had just begun to accelerate when it was hit from behind, investigators wrote.
The impact sent the Cadillac southeast into a concrete wall, the documents state. The crash report narrative says the Cadillac sustained a fuel tank rupture and became engulfed in flames, and that the driver of the Cadillac was unable to be extricated and was pronounced dead at the scene by Palm Beach County Fire Rescue. The driver who died was identified in the probable cause affidavit as Jason Bartley, 32, of Boynton Beach.
Investigators said a witness provided a sworn statement describing the Chevrolet being driven from the Belle Glade area and “weaving and swerving between lanes” as it headed eastbound toward West Palm Beach. The witness told investigators he backed away from following the truck after it stopped in the intersection, citing concerns about the driver’s ability to operate the vehicle safely. The witness also described seeing a generator in the truck bed, and investigators later noted a generator in the roadway near the Cadillac’s final resting position.
The probable cause affidavit says surveillance video from a Wawa gas station on the northwest corner later confirmed the collision dynamics described in the investigation, including the failure to avoid, slow, or react as the Chevrolet approached the stopped Cadillac.
Investigators also documented impairment indicators at the scene. One deputy assigned to the sheriff’s office DUI unit reported the driver’s breath smelled of an alcoholic beverage and that he had red, bloodshot, glossy eyes, according to the affidavit. The documents say the driver later provided a consensual blood sample for toxicology testing. The affidavit states that medical treatment after the crash revealed a blood alcohol concentration of 81 mg/dL more than four hours after the collision.
During the investigation, authorities also checked driving history and licensing information. The affidavit says the driver did not have a Florida driver’s license and provided a Mexican license and consular card for identification. Jail and court documents list the charge as driving without a valid driver’s license causing death, along with DUI manslaughter.
On Jan. 20, 2026, court records show Albarran Borja entered a guilty plea and was adjudicated guilty. He was sentenced to 128.55 months — about 10.5 years — in the Florida Department of Corrections, followed by one year of probation. The court record also reflects a mandatory minimum term of four years and a lifetime driver’s license revocation.
As part of the sentence conditions reflected in the docket, the defendant was ordered to complete DUI school and any recommended treatment, enrolling within 30 days of release from custody. The court record also lists an ignition interlock requirement for two years.
The case is filed in Palm Beach County Circuit Court under case number 50-2024-CF-008532-AXXX-MB.
