Norristown Police: Fatal hit-and-run driver in custody

Jean Cruz (Photo provided by Montgomery County District Attorney)

NORRISTOWN – Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele and Norristown Police Chief Jacqueline Bailey-Davis announced Saturday the arrest of Jean Carlos Emeraldas Cruz, 26, who turned himself in to police after an arrest warrant was issued in connection with a hit-and-run crash on May 19 that left a pedestrian dead.

The fatal crash occurred around 10:48 p.m. in the 300 block of West Main Street near Astor Street in Norristown when pedestrian Brian Clark, 57, of Norristown, was struck by a vehicle driven by the defendant, police said.

The vehicle then fled the scene. Norristown police located and secured Cruz’s Hyundai Santa Fe parked on East Wood Street on May 20. The vehicle, registered to Jean Landscaping, LLC, was covered with a tarp to conceal damage to the left front and windshield, police said.

Human hair was found in the damaged windshield. The investigation also revealed that Cruz did not have a driver’s license, police said.

Cruz, of the 1000 block of DeKalb Street in Norristown, is charged with accidents involving death or personal injury, hit and run, accidents involving death or personal injury without a proper license, failure to give information and render aid, failure to notify police of an accident and driving without a license.

He was arraigned before District Judge Douglas H. Lavenberg, who set bail at $100,000 with the condition that he surrender his passport upon release. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for June 7, 2024, at 9:30 a.m. before District Judge Todd N. Barnes.

The investigation began when Norristown police rushed to the 300 block of West Main Street, where a pedestrian had been struck by a car. Arriving officers found Clark lying in the median of the roadway “with numerous injuries and in cardiac arrest,” according to the criminal complaint filed by Norristown County Detective Charles Farrell and Detective William Klinger.

A witness told police that Clark was struck by a dark-colored SUV and that the driver immediately fled at a high rate of speed heading east on West Main Street and then north on Markley Street. The witness reported that the vehicle’s driver’s side headlight was damaged and officers found vehicle debris in the road, according to court documents.

Investigators obtained footage from several surveillance cameras in the area of ​​the accident and found that the headlight on the driver’s side of the impacting vehicle was not working and the windshield was damaged, “indicating a collision with a pedestrian.”

Clark was taken to Einstein Montgomery Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

An autopsy revealed that Clark had died from numerous injuries and the cause of death was ruled an accident.

On May 20, county police observed a black Hyundai Santa Fe parked on East Wood Street near Arch Street. “The windshield and hood were covered with a tarp, concealing damage to the left front and windshield,” investigators said.

“The damage sustained to this Hyundai was consistent with Brian Clark’s fatal hit-and-run accident, and suspected human hair was discovered in the damaged windshield,” Farrell and Klinger said, adding that authorities had seized the vehicle.

The investigation revealed that the vehicle was registered to Jean Landscaping, LLC, which was associated with the DeKalb Street address where Cruz lived in an apartment with his girlfriend and children. Investigators attempted to reach Cruz at the apartment without success.

Detectives discovered surveillance video showing two men exiting the damaged vehicle after parking it in the 200 block of East Wood Street at 11:09 p.m. on May 19. According to the criminal complaint, the men returned to the vehicle at 11:13 p.m. and covered the windshield and front of the vehicle with a sheet.

A search of the vehicle found evidence inside that led investigators to an East Wood Street man who later told investigators that he was a passenger in the car driven by Cruz, whom he knew as “Jean,” at the time of the collision with Clark.

The passenger told investigators he heard Cruz yell and stop, but struck a pedestrian in the process. The passenger claimed Cruz stated he did not have a driver’s license and drove away from the scene of the accident without stopping.

“(The passenger) stated that Jean was well aware that he had struck a person,” Farrell and Klinger claimed.

After Cruz parked the vehicle on East Wood Street and covered it with a tarp, they went to the scene of the crash with the passenger to find out what happened. The passenger told investigators that he and Cruz also saw police seize the Hyundai vehicle on May 21, the affidavit states.

Cruz later allegedly told the passenger that he “had to leave” with his girlfriend and children.

On May 22, investigators again attempted to contact Cruz at his DeKalb Street apartment. At that time, neighbors said they had not seen Cruz, his girlfriend, their children or their dog since May 20, which is not common, according to the affidavit.

Cruz’s employer, a local landscaping company, told investigators that Cruz contacted the company on May 20 and told the employer he would not be showing up for work because he had “a family emergency,” the criminal complaint states.

In the event of an accident resulting in death or personal injury, a prison sentence of up to three years can be imposed if convicted.