Amazon driver turns himself in after Baltimore hit-and-run captured on video
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An Amazon driver turned himself into police Thursday in connection with a hit-and-run in a delivery van that was captured on video, Baltimore police said.
Around 9:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 18, officers said a 29-year-old woman was crossing the street in the Butchers Hill neighborhood when she was run over by the van.
Police said the delivery driver, identified as 26-year-old Jerome Allan Young Jr., from Baltimore County, turned himself in to police and was taken into custody. He is charged with negligent and reckless driving and more charges are pending.
On Friday, court officials said he was held without bail.
Hit-and-run caught on camera
A video obtained by WJZ captured the moment as the van slowly ran over the woman at the intersection of E. Pratt and S. Chester Streets.
The video shows the driver hesitated as the woman cried out, and then he continued to drive over the woman with the rear wheels of the van.
"When I watched that video, I was also horrified at how long it took because, in my mind, it was like instant," a Baltimore resident said. "It took a minute to figure out what was happening, but once we did, people ran down. By the time I got there, people were already there."
According to police, Young stopped the van, checked on the woman, got back in, and drove off.
According to police records, the woman told the responding officer that when Young approached her, he asked "How did you manage to get hit," before getting back in the van and leaving.
She also said she felt the van run over her head and then again over her body.
Witnesses said a passerby helped the woman, took photos of the truck, and assisted in the investigation.
The woman was taken to a hospital where she is expected to survive, police said. She sustained nine broken ribs and five fractured vertebrae, police records show.
"I think the guy just panicked and didn't know what he was doing," another Baltimore resident said. "I would think Amazon would do training on this. If you hit someone, don't leave the scene."
According to police records, the woman was in a marked crosswalk at the time she was struck.
Community, neighbors react
"I think the guy just panicked and didn't know what he was doing," another Baltimore resident said. "I would think Amazon would do training on this. If you hit someone, don't leave the scene."
According to police records, the woman was in a marked crosswalk at the time she was struck.
Kavalyn Wilson works in Butchers Hill and takes walks in the area often.
"It's horror that's kind of the only word I can think is horror number one to do that," Wilson explained. "To get out and check and then leave a woman in the middle of the street after hitting her is just horrendous."
Multiple donation links are available online, many organized by friends of the victim-- one site is already raising more than five thousand dollars.
Amazon comments on hit-and-run
After the arrest, Amazon said Young is no longer delivering to Amazon customers.
"This is a terrible incident and we're fully supporting law enforcement as they continue their investigation," an Amazon spokesperson said. "The individual in question is no longer delivering to Amazon customers."
Neighbor Aiden Shawyer said the area of Butchers Hill where the incident occurred can be dangerous for pedestrians.
"People are always blowing through lights," he said. "I don't know if that's what happened in this situation, but even if it's last tick of the yellow, people are just going 40 down these roads."
