A Baltimore County man previously facing felony charges in a hit-and-run incident involving an Amazon van has had his charges reduced following a hearing that left him facing a possible sentence of less than three years in prison. Jerome Allan Young Jr., 26, was initially accused of hitting a woman and leaving her injured on the streets of Baltimore. According to FOX Baltimore, this altercation could have led him to serve up to 40 years if convicted on the original charges.
During a bail review today, the State's Attorney's Office dismissed assault charges against Young, who is now only charged with negligent and reckless driving and failure to remain at the scene of the accident. The judge described the reduction in charges as "very interesting," though the specifics behind the decision have yet to fully emerge. The incident occurred last Thursday, showing the victim being struck by the Amazon van as she was crossing the street at E. Pratt and S. Chester Street in Baltimore, according to video evidence mentioned by CBS News Baltimore.
Footage showed Young briefly hesitating after hitting the woman, only to continue driving over her with the rear wheels of the van. He then left the scene after a brief conversation with the injured woman. The woman, who survived the encounter, suffered nine broken ribs, five fractured vertebrae, a laceration on her left thigh requiring stitches, and multiple abrasions over her body. Following the incident, Young reportedly asked her, "How did you manage to get hit," before driving away, as stated in documents detailed by FOX Baltimore.
While Young has been released from police custody after the bail review, he is scheduled to appear for a hearing on March 20. After the incident, Amazon stated that Young was "no longer delivering to Amazon customers," reinforcing that they were "fully supporting law enforcement as they continue their investigation," an Amazon spokesperson stated, as per CBS News Baltimore.
