A man was arrested Wednesday in connection with a violent crash in April near Boynton Beach that killed a 25-year-old woman and ripped the car she was riding in in half, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office said.
Dale Drotar, 40, of Boynton Beach, is facing a total of 10 charges, including vehicular homicide and DUI manslaughter, stemming from the April 6 crash at the intersection of Military Trail and Cedar Point Boulevard.
Drotar was driving a 2019 Chevrolet Corvette south on Military Trail when he smashed into the rear passenger’s side of a 2020 Toyota Camry at 135 mph as it tried to make a turn through the intersection, splitting the Toyota in half and ejecting passenger Natalie Pierre, 25, of Boynton Beach, onto the shoulder of the road, according to a probable cause affidavit. The entire right rear passenger seat and door were ripped off the Toyota from the force of the impact.
Two other cars had minor damage after they were hit by debris sent flying from the force. A witness helped Drotar climb out of his Corvette through a window as it caught fire, the affidavit said. He and the Toyota driver were taken to Delray Medical Center with serious injuries. Pierre was pronounced dead at the scene.
Dale Drotar was arrested on Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025, in connection with a crash near Boynton Beach in April that killed a woman, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office said. (Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office/Courtesy)
At the crash scene, an investigator saw a nearly empty bottle of Jack Daniels sitting on top of the driver’s seat inside the Corvette, the affidavit said. Toxicology results showed Drotar was under the influence of marijuana and had a blood alcohol content of 0.126 when he was admitted to the hospital. The legal limit in Florida is 0.08.
Drotar remained in the Main Detention Center on Thursday night. If he is released after posting bail, he is required to be on in-house arrest with a GPS monitor and will not be allowed to drive, court records show. He had not yet entered any plea to the charges.
Palm Beach County court records show Drotar was cited more than a dozen times for traffic infractions between 2004 and 2024, including for unlawful speed. His most recent citation in October 2024 said he was speeding at 74 mph in a 45 mph zone on South Military Trail in the same Corvette.
