Police: Man in stolen Jeep rammed patrol car before fleeing in Delray Beach

A Boynton Beach man is accused of ramming a police cruiser with a stolen Jeep and fleeing before investigators linked him to the vehicle through DNA and personal items left inside, according to a Delray Beach Police Department probable cause affidavit.

Police said Travis William Tomasello, 46, faces charges of aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer, grand theft of a motor vehicle, fleeing and eluding, and resisting an officer with violence.

The case began on Dec. 31, 2025, when a woman reported that her white Jeep Grand Cherokee had been stolen from a guest parking space outside a residence on Southeast Seventh Avenue.

Shortly after midnight on Jan. 1, an officer located the Jeep traveling west near Linton Boulevard and Interstate 95, according to the affidavit.

Police said the officer followed the Jeep into the Cascades community on Lowson Boulevard and activated his emergency lights and siren. Instead of stopping, the driver allegedly put the Jeep in reverse and rammed the front push bar of the marked patrol car while the officer was still inside.

Investigators said the driver then made a U-turn and struck a water pipe, a tree and a curb, causing the Jeep’s right rear tire to deflate. The vehicle continued west on Lowson Boulevard before turning onto Homewood Boulevard and Casita Way.

The Jeep eventually lost control and spun around near Casita Way and Camino Road, police said. By the time officers approached it, the driver had fled on foot. A police K-9 searched the area but did not locate the suspect.

While processing the abandoned Jeep, investigators said they found two debit cards bearing Tomasello’s name and a Samsung cellphone with a sticker reading “Travis T.” DNA was also collected from the steering wheel, gear shift, vape devices and bottles inside the SUV.

Police said the Jeep’s owner did not know Tomasello and said the bottles and vapes did not belong to her.

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Later that morning, officers investigated a reported burglary at a nearby home. The resident told police he returned from a bar and found an unfamiliar man inside wearing his T-shirt and underwear.

The resident said the man appeared confused and asked for help. He wrapped the man in a blanket and ordered him an Uber, but the ride was later canceled. Police said the resident subsequently found wet clothing and a wallet containing Tomasello’s identification inside the home.

Tomasello was later arrested by Palm Beach Gardens police in an unrelated case, according to the affidavit. Officers searching his property reportedly found a passport and checkbook belonging to the homeowner.

Investigators obtained a warrant for Tomasello’s DNA. Results received in June provided what the laboratory described as “very strong support” that his DNA was present on the Jeep’s steering wheel, gear shift, a vape and a Gatorade bottle, the affidavit states.