Inset: Austin Arthur Pare (Jupiter Police Dept.). Background: The area in Florida where Pare allegedly threw his ex-girlfriend from a pickup truck and ran her over (Google Maps).
A 29-year-old Florida man is accused of nearly killing his ex-girlfriend, allegedly pushing her from a moving pickup truck and running her over before telling a witness "she did it to herself."
Austin A. Pare was arrested and charged with one count of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon over the alleged attack.
Pare was identified as the suspect after deputies responded to reports of a woman found injured along Center Street, where witnesses described a chaotic scene involving debris, blood, and a pickup truck that quickly fled. Investigators later located the victim and began piecing together the events that led to the alleged attack.
According to a probable cause affidavit from the Jupiter Police Department, the incident began late at night when multiple callers reported seeing a blond woman lying in the roadway surrounded by debris, including a purse, shoes, and what appeared to be blood.
One witness said she initially believed the woman was dead before seeing a pickup truck stop nearby and a man approach her. When the witness looked back, both the woman and the vehicle were gone.
A second witness provided a more detailed account, telling deputies she "observed an object flying through the air. At first, she believed it to be a bush or a tree branch and then realized it was a person." The witness agreed to provide a statement to investigators. From the affidavit:
As she approached, she realized that the object was a blonde female wearing a black tank top. [The witness] approached the female, and a matte gray pickup truck with white doors that was parked near the female. She stated she observed a white male standing over the blonde female. She stated to the male that he had hit her, and the male responded "she did it to herself." [The witness] then stated she observed the male drag the female into the matte gray truck and flee from the scene.
Deputies found blood spatter and scattered personal items in the roadway, including a phone, purse, and a bloody towel. Inside the purse, they located identification belonging to the victim, prompting a welfare check at her listed address.
Around the same time, officers at Jupiter Medical Center encountered a woman, later identified as the victim, limping into the ambulance bay with visible abrasions. When asked what had happened, she initially said she could not remember.
As deputies searched for the suspect vehicle, they identified a gray Dodge pickup through a license plate recognition system. Shortly after, hospital staff received a phone call from a man who identified himself as "Austin" and asked about the victim by name.
According to a sworn statement from a hospital employee, the caller "spontaneously uttered 'she jumped out of my car'" when asked about his relationship to the victim. He claimed to have been dating the victim for six years but refused to come to the hospital, despite saying he was nearby.
Investigators later interviewed the victim's mother, who identified the truck as belonging to Pare and described a history of alleged abuse in the relationship, including prior incidents where he had pushed the victim out of a moving vehicle.
The victim initially told deputies she did not remember the events leading up to her injuries. However, after further questioning and speaking with her mother, she provided a more detailed account of the alleged attack.
According to her sworn statement, the victim said she and Pare had been drinking on the beach before getting into an argument that continued inside his truck. From the affidavit:
The argument escalated when, on Center Street, Austin physically pushed [the victim] out of the moving pickup truck, causing the abrasions visible on her arms and face. [The victim] stated that Austin intentionally struck her with the Dodge pickup, causing additional abrasions. Austin proceeded to load[] her in the vehicle, and left the scene. [The victim] stated she was in and out of consciousness after being loaded into the vehicle. After regaining consciousness, she woke up alone in the vehicle and began limping away from the truck in an attempt to locate help.
Pare's mother later picked up the victim and began driving her to a local hospital, but not before allegedly threatening "to harm" the victim and the victim's mother "if she told the police what had occurred," the affidavit states.
Pare is currently being held in the Palm Beach County Jail on $40,000 bond. He is scheduled to return to court for a hearing on July 2, records show.