The Hingham man charged with murder in the 2022 crash that killed a construction worker inside the Derby Street Shops Apple Store was arrested again, this time accused of violating the terms of his ankle monitor. Bradley Rein is scheduled to appear in Brockton Superior Court on Monday, more than three years after his SUV plowed through the glass storefront and injured 22 other people.
Hingham police arrested Rein for violating the conditions of his GPS monitoring bracelet, and the Plymouth County District Attorney's Office confirmed the arrest, according to WHDH. Rein has pleaded not guilty to a slate of charges that includes murder stemming from the November 21, 2022 crash, which killed 65-year-old construction worker Kevin Bradley of Wayne, New Jersey. Bradley, according to CBS News, was on-site supporting recent construction at the store when he was struck and killed.
This is not the first time Rein's ankle monitor has landed him back in custody. In September 2023, a Plymouth County Superior Court judge revoked his $100,000 bail for 60 days after Hingham police reported he had let the bracelet's battery die twice in a single weekend, a violation Hoodline first reported. Police made multiple visits to his residence ordering compliance before ultimately obtaining an arrest warrant, per the same account.
A Pattern of Monitor Failures
Three months later, in December 2023, Rein was taken into custody again and ordered committed to a mental health facility for a 20-day evaluation after his bracelet died once more and he failed to respond to six phone calls from authorities, a case Hoodline also covered at the time. Prosecutors raised concerns in court that substance abuse might be affecting his compliance with the monitoring conditions, the outlet's report noted. The recurring violations have repeatedly disrupted his pretrial release in the nearly four years since the crash.
The severity of the criminal case has only grown since Rein's initial arrest. A Plymouth County grand jury indicted him in March 2023 on 25 counts, including second-degree murder, motor vehicle homicide by reckless operation, 18 counts of aggravated assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, and four counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, according to CBS News. Rein had originally been charged with reckless homicide in district court before prosecutors presented evidence to the grand jury.
Telemetry Versus a Stuck Pedal Defense
The central dispute heading toward trial involves what happened inside Rein's 2019 Toyota 4Runner in the seconds before it crashed through the storefront. Telemetry data analyzed by investigators showed the SUV accelerated up to 60 mph in the five seconds leading up to impact with no indication that the brakes were applied, CBS News reported. Rein has told investigators his right foot became stuck on the accelerator while he was searching for an eyeglass store, and that he tried using his left foot to stop the vehicle.
An on-scene preliminary breathalyzer test showed a 0.00% blood alcohol concentration, and Rein told officers he had no medical impairments and had not used drugs or alcohol, according to reporting cited by CBS News. Prosecutors are expected to lean heavily on the acceleration data to counter the mechanical-failure explanation when the case reaches a jury.
Trial Set for Early 2027, Lawsuits Continue
Judicial scheduling reports established a trial date for Rein in Plymouth County Superior Court in Brockton for January 2027, according to the Hingham Anchor. That timeline places the trial more than four years after the initial crash. First responders at the scene evaluated dozens of victims and transported 16 patients with severe traumatic injuries to South Shore Hospital, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and Boston Medical Center, with mutual aid dispatched from Hull, Rockland, and South Shore EMS, the Anchor reported.
Beyond the criminal case, personal injury lawsuits filed in November 2022 against Rein, Apple, and property owner WS Development remain pending, alleging gross negligence for failing to install protective barriers in front of the glass storefront. The complaints noted that bollards already existed behind the plaza near dumpsters but not in front of the store itself, according to reporting on the litigation cited by CBS News. Protective concrete bollards were installed along the sidewalk directly in front of the Derby Street Shops Apple Store in Hingham within days of the fatal crash.
