FHP: Two killed in crash after Collier deputy tries traffic stop

An Immokalee man and woman died in an overnight crash after a Collier County sheriff's deputy attempted to make a traffic stop, state police say.

Damian Raheem Rivera, 21, and Amy Sabrina Manzano, 24, were killed when their 2001 Volvo S60 hit a tree shortly before midnight Tuesday. Both were pronounced dead at the scene, Florida Highway Patrol reported Wednesday morning.

A deputy noticed that the Volvo, driven by Rivera, did not have an operable rear license plate tag light and tried to make a traffic stop, according to a Collier County Sheriff's Office report.

But as soon as the deputy activated his overhead lights, Rivera started to flee and continued east on Roberts Avenue, "not stopping at the stop sign" and increasing his speeds to about 60 mph before continuing onto Nixon Drive, the Sheriff's Office report stated.

Rivera then turned north on New Market Road and continued "with speeds approaching approximately 100 mph" as other deputies joined the pursuit, the report stated.

As Rivera drove the Volvo north on New Market Road, heading toward State Road 29, he entered the curve at the intersection and "lost control and left the roadway," according to the report.

The front of the car struck a tree on the northeast corner of State Road 29 and New Market Road, according to the FHP report. After impact, the Volvo rotated counterclockwise, causing the right side of the car to hit a concrete power pole also on the northeast corner of the intersection.

The Volvo came to a rest against the power pole, FHP reported. Neither Rivera nor Manzano, the passenger, were wearing seatbelts, police reported.

The crash remains under investigation.