Woman Faces Felony Charges After Striking Deputy at Longwood Church Easter Sunday

Jill Sinay drove into an off-duty Seminole County Sheriff's deputy in the Northland Church parking lot in Longwood on Easter Sunday, then fled the scene before deputies stopped her vehicle at a nearby intersection and arrested her on multiple felony counts.

The Seminole County Sheriff's Office confirmed on April 7 that Sinay first struck a volunteer parking attendant with her vehicle before the confrontation with the deputy escalated. When the officer stepped in to intervene, she allegedly pressed the accelerator and struck him in the knee. Deputies followed her from the church lot and brought her vehicle to a stop shortly after.

The arrest itself was not without resistance: authorities allege Sinay kicked and scratched deputies as they took her into custody.

She was booked on charges of aggravated battery on a law-enforcement officer, fleeing to elude, and hit-and-run with injury. Under Florida law, aggravated battery on an officer carries enhanced penalties distinct from standard battery charges, and the fleeing count is elevated when injury results from the flight. Together, the charges represent substantial legal exposure if prosecutors pursue the full extent of the allegations.

The confrontation unfolded during one of Northland Church's highest-attended services of the year. The Longwood congregation draws large crowds on Easter weekend, requiring volunteer coordination and supplementary law-enforcement support for traffic and parking. That the incident began with a routine parking interaction before escalating to an alleged assault on a deputy will likely prompt scrutiny of how large venues manage crowd safety during peak events.

Court filings in the coming weeks will establish Sinay's arraignment date, bond conditions, and whether investigators identify additional victims from the parking-lot encounter.