- February 3, 2025
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Two witnesses thought it was a prank when they saw a head peer out from the trunk in front of them while stopped at a red light on Monday, Feb. 11, in Daytona Beach. The man in the trunk was later identified as Jose Magana Jr., an 18-year-old Port Orange resident, and he claimed to have been kidnapped and beaten.
Shortly after pulling into the WaWa parking lot on South Ridgewood Avenue in Daytona Beach, the two witnesses saw Magana stumbling through the parking lot near the gas pumps screaming for help. His hands were still tied with duct tape, and the witnesses saw he had multiple wounds on his head. Magana kept saying someone named “Raeqwon” had kidnapped him and beat him.
Magana was transported to Halifax Hospital in Daytona Beach and was in stable condition with severe swelling to his ears, eyes, nose and mouth when Port Orange police arrived for questioning. He also had several wounds to his face and the back of his head.
Although Magana’s communication was limited due to his injuries, he was able to tell police that Raeqwon was a friend to whom he owed money. Magana would not say why he owed money to his friend but did tell police he had $500 cash on him at the time of the incident.
Magana said Raeqwon and an unknown man picked him up at the Golden Corral off Taylor Road in Port Orange. Magana stated he was sitting in the backseat when he was hit multiple times and he last remembered passing a 7-Eleven and a Taco Bell in Daytona Beach.
During the interview, Magana repeatedly grabbed the crotch area of his shorts. Hospital staff later undressed him and found a clear baggy of what is suspected to be cocaine, in his underwear.
Port Orange Officer Evan Doyle said the case has been turned over the the Daytona Beach Police Department.
On Wednesday, Feb. 13, Sgt. Kelsey Harris of the Daytona Beach Police Department said Magana is still in the hospital and that the investigation is ongoing.
