Jerome Brooks
A 45-year-old man from Elmira, New York was arrested on murder charges early this morning in the connection with the fatal hit-and-run accident near 48th and Chester on Monday night.
Jerome Brooks was arraigned early this morning on charges that include murder, vehicular homicide and driving under the influence, according to court documents. Brooks was allegedly driving the silver SUV that struck local resident 52-year-old Deanna Teal as she crossed Chester Avenue at 48th Street. Police say that the SUV was traveling at a high speed before striking Teal and did not slow down or stop after the crash.
Teal, who left behind a daughter and six grandchildren, died at the scene. Police found the vehicle several blocks away within a couple of hours of the crash.
A preliminary hearing for Brooks has been scheduled for December 26.
December 6th, 2012 at 10:27 am
Great work on the part of the police.
December 6th, 2012 at 10:36 am
I wonder how the police knew he was DUI (i’m not saying he wasn’t, I just wonder how anyone can tell that after the fact). I’m pleased for the family that the driver was arrested so quickly; it’s about the only kind of ‘closure’ they’re going to get.
December 6th, 2012 at 10:38 am
Great new! Good job, West Philly PD.
December 6th, 2012 at 10:39 am
*news
December 6th, 2012 at 11:03 am
The charges listed in the article did not mention the hit and run part of the crime. Was that in the charges?
December 6th, 2012 at 11:11 am
Has anyone read where he was arrested? Was he caught in Phila or back in NY?
Good work on the part of the police. I hope this guy stays in jail for the rest of his life, and I vote that we do not have a community pray-in like there was for that rapist a few months back.
December 6th, 2012 at 12:16 pm
DUI: You can be convicted if you are judged incapable of driving safely based on observations and other evidence. They may have had video and we know there were witnesses.
December 6th, 2012 at 12:48 pm
Thank God ! This mans gonna get what he deserves , <\3
December 6th, 2012 at 1:01 pm
DUI: Can also be related to drugs other than alcohol whch remain detectable for several days or longer depending on the drug (benzos, cocaine, weed, PCP, etc).
December 6th, 2012 at 2:21 pm
6ABC reported that he was arrested at the VA hospital where he had gone for medical treatment, so maybe there was a medical record of his intoxication.
December 6th, 2012 at 3:36 pm
I know I can’t let this go, but isn’t there supposed to be additional charge against him for fleeing the scene of an accident? I checked the other local newsites and none of them specifically mention that charge. They say stuff like “other related charges.” I always thought a hit and run has long been considered in itself a crime, regardless of the seriousness of the accident. If it’s not, it should be.
December 6th, 2012 at 4:23 pm
@brendangrad Leaving the scene isn’t one of the charges. You (and anyone else) can look at his docket sheet by going here: http://ujsportal.pacourts.us/DocketSheets/CP.aspx
This will list all of his charges and upcoming court dates.
Choose “participant name,” and enter his name and choose “Philadelphia” as the county. This is updated on almost a real-time basis, so you if you were inclined you could follow his journey through the system.
December 6th, 2012 at 4:57 pm
Thanks Editor. I looked up PA Hit and Run laws online and I think I the hit and run aspect is actually one of the charges. If I am reading the section pasted below correctly, the charge of Vehicular Homicide is what you get charged with when you cause someone’s death and flee the scene. Of course I am no expert on legalese so I may be reading that wrong too.
Ԥ 3732. Homicide by vehicle.
Any person who recklessly or with gross negligence causes the death of another person while engaged in the violation of any law of this Commonwealth or municipal ordinance applying to the operation or use of a vehicle or to the regulation of traffic except section 3731 (relating to driving under influence of alcohol or controlled substance) is guilty of homicide by vehicle, a felony of the third degree, when the violation is the cause of death.’
December 6th, 2012 at 10:30 pm
Props to the Philly PD for catching this guy so fast.
And, for the record, it’s clear from the surveillance video that the incident occurred at 49th and Chester, not 48th.
December 7th, 2012 at 12:25 am
Thos, i don’t find your comment constructive. if as Rachel (above) says this guy went to a VA hospital after the incident, that means he’s most likely a veteran.
without doubt the primary tragedy here is the totally unnecessary and premature extinguishment of this innocent woman’s life, and the impact that loss will generate upon her family and her friends. wasn’t she just about to get married or something? what a major bummer.
there may be additional misfortune though. to be clear, *if* as alleged this guy was under the influence and behind the wheel, he’s clearly irresponsible and, frankly, an asshole. he made an enormous error in judgment and he deserves to pay his debt to society with serious time outside of it.
that said, i think that even a mistake of this magnitude doesn’t in and of itself make him evil through-and-through, nor render him worthy of nothing but our contempt. also, it’s well-established that many veterans have a difficult time readjusting to civilian life after they’ve left the military; this includes frequent problems with substance abuse. there are many things our society could do to ease that transition (or not generate so much emotional trauma while in the service in the first place) that, at least partially for reasons of convenience and expense, we choose not to.
i mention this not to diminish the severity of this guy Jerome Brooks’ alleged crime, but to point out that there may be additional context that is relevant to trying to understand how and why this tragedy happened. this is important because while Brooks may now be in custody and presumably his case will be dealt with appropriately by the criminal justice system, this kind of incident is not unique or even rare; intoxication-related violence has happened many times before and certainly will come to pass in the future. so, in order to try to minimize future hits-and-runs (and DUIs in general) — probably the best silver lining that could possibly come from this nasty incident — it’s useful to try and understand the entire picture so we can prioritize our collective energies in dealing with this very stubborn social problem.
December 7th, 2012 at 12:55 pm
Are you for real, Little Lebowski Urban Achiever?
“Context. Is the secret. Is the moment. When everything happens…
3-2-1 Context!”
December 12th, 2012 at 2:58 pm
I just have to write not in defense to what happened.. because it is a tragedy to say the least and my heart is very heavy for the woman that lost her life and the family.. but my heart is also heavy for Jerome… I am close to him, I dont really know the exact specifics of this night, but I do that he has been battling a great deal and hes got a world of hurt that hes been going through and struggling with and has recently dealt with major loss in his life and he did not intentionally do this.. So I cant say that he doesnt deserve to face the consequences, but he is not a monster… though it seems as though he is in this situation… I feel so sad.. and he too has children that will not have their dad.. and he was a great father… I am so sorry for what happened.. but just had to come to his side so to speak that he isnt heartless!!! I am floored and so disturbed by what happened…. but theres A LOT that is NOT known about him… 🙁
December 13th, 2012 at 7:13 am
Thank you Amanda I too am very close to him and you are totally right. Could not have put it into words any better. I pray daily for everyone involved in this tragedy and that he gets all the help possible because he truly isn’t a “monster”. Prayers go out to Ms Teals family.
December 13th, 2012 at 10:01 am
If this happened to my family I would call him a monster and I would be right. Monsters hide in the shadows and hurt the ones you love.
Sounds about right.
December 13th, 2012 at 11:57 am
“he isnt heartless”
He killed a woman in the street, then ran and hid. That is the definition of ‘heartless’. Look it up.
December 13th, 2012 at 12:45 pm
There but for the grace of god go I… The truth is the human heart (the very same heart) is capable of all manner of darkness and light. This world is not black and white and human beings are even less so. All we can hope is that our veryworstnight or our veryworstmoment is nowhere near as damaging as Jerome’s. I don’t know the driver or the victim but my heart goes out to both of them and both of their loved ones and all the people and things this tragic moment in time irrevocably broke.
December 31st, 2014 at 12:03 pm
R.I.P grandmom i love and miss you so much.