Man dies while attempting to burglarize home in Lehigh Acres, LCSO says

Published: Updated:
Jonathan Hernandez Zuluaga, 32. Credit: LCSO

The Lee County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the death of a 32-year-old man they say died while attempting to burglarize a home in Lehigh Acres on Saturday.

Jonathan Hernandez was found pinned by a window and suspended in the air at a home near 46 Street Southwest and Nora Avenue South, according to Lt. Russell Park, a public information officer with the Lee County Sheriff’s Office.

“While Hernandez was trying to work his way through the window, it unexpectedly closed on top of him, pinning him and keeping him suspended in air,” Park said. “When deputies arrived they found Hernandez deceased.”

Park said Hernandez was “no stranger to law enforcement.” In 2018, court records show Hernandez plead guilty to grand theft, a third-degree felony.

LCSO’s Major Crimes detectives are investigating Hernandez’s death, Park said.

According to the family, who lives at the home, the window is a heavy hurricane window with a broken spring that came down with incredible force on Hernandez as he attempted to hoist himself inside.

Deputies found him hanging from the window.

Wink News Safety and Security Specialist Rich Kolko said the lesson is to protect homes from burglars.

Having exterior lighting could deter criminals from approaching a house, Kolko said.

“Most criminals are not going to want to approach a house that is well lit on the outside,” Kolko said. “If there is something suspicious going on or noise is going on in your home — burglar alarms going off, smoke alarms going off — just pick up the phone and call law enforcers. They are there to help you.”

Copyright ©2024 Fort Myers Broadcasting. All rights reserved.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without prior written consent.