Carnage

No Charges for Jersey City Driver Who Killed Jeremiah Grant, 8, and Left Scene

Though the motorist was driving away before witnesses stopped him, police declined to categorize the crash as a hit-and-run. The media blamed the child for the collision.

By Brad Aaron

2:15 PM EDT on October 31, 2017

Jeremiah Grant

A driver killed an 8-year-old boy in Jersey City Saturday afternoon. Though the motorist struck a child with deadly force and reportedly attempted to drive away before witnesses prevented him from leaving the scene, police filed no charges.

Jeremiah Grant, a jump rope champion whose team has appeared on national television, was struck by a 60-year-old man in a Jeep SUV at Christopher Columbus Drive and Grove Street at around 4:45 p.m.

The motorist, whose name was withheld, was chased down by witnesses half a block from the collision.

“I heard the screaming,” Jose Pimento told WABC, “so I noticed the guy was pulling away, so I ran after him and was able to stop the guy on foot.”

Pimento said the driver “seemed dazed” and “said he felt like he went over a bookbag.“

“He said he didn’t see the kid,” another witness said.

WABC reporter CeFaan Kim made no mention of the driver’s actions before the collision, but said the victim was walking with other children when he “rushed across the street.”

It is typical for police and the media to blame children for traffic crashes and downplay the behavior of adults operating multi-ton vehicles.

In a DIY video posted with his story, Kim went to some lengths to hypothesize that the driver who killed Jeremiah probably was not trying to flee, since he did not speed away from the point of impact. “Police say the driver remained on scene,” Kim reported, “and they are not calling it a hit-and-run.”

While crash investigators and Kim defend the driver, Jeremiah Grant is no longer alive to give his side of the story.

An online fundraising campaign has been established for Jeremiah’s family.

Brad Aaron

Brad Aaron began writing for Streetsblog in 2007, after years as a reporter, editor, and publisher in the alternative weekly business. Brad adopted New York's dysfunctional traffic justice system as his primary beat for Streetsblog. He lives in Manhattan.

Carnage | Children | Jersey City

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