FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, May 6, 2026
Brooklyn Man Sentenced to Prison for High-Speed,
Fatal Bedford-Stuyvesant Hit-and-Run
Defendant Drove More Than 50 MPH Through Red Light,
Struck and Killed Pedestrian, Then Fled Scene
Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez today announced that a Brooklyn man has been sentenced to five to 10 years in prison for causing a fatal hit-and-run crash in Beford-Stuyvesant when he drove over 50 miles per hour and ran numerous red lights before fatally striking a 49-year-old pedestrian and fleeing the scene.
District Attorney Gonzalez said, “This defendant’s reckless and selfish actions cost an innocent man his life, and instead of stopping to help, he callously sped away. Today’s sentence holds him accountable for the irreversible harm he caused and makes clear that drivers who endanger lives and attempt to escape responsibility in Brooklyn will face prison time and serious consequences.”
The District Attorney identified the defendant as Jerry Gelle, 32, of Brooklyn. He was sentenced today by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Elizabeth Warin to five to 10 years in prison. The defendant pleaded guilty on March 11, 2026 to second-degree manslaughter and leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death.
The District Attorney said that, according to the investigation, on October 10, 2024, at approximately 3:05 a.m., the defendant was driving a gray 2024 Jeep Grand Cherokee northbound on Bedford Avenue in Bedford-Stuyvesant at approximately 53 miles per hour. In the minutes before the crash, video surveillance showed the vehicle running multiple red lights, driving in bike lanes and triggering speed cameras.
At the intersection of Bedford Avenue and Lafayette Avenue, as 49-year-old Felix Mendez crossed the street, the defendant ran a steady red light, striking the victim in the middle of the crosswalk. The impact of the crash killed Mendez.
Following the crash, the defendant fled the scene without stopping to render aid or report the incident.
The investigation further determined, through video surveillance and other evidence, that the defendant continued driving recklessly after he fatally struck Mendez, running additional red lights and stop signs. He later attempted to sanitize the interior of the Jeep and abandoned it about four blocks from the scene of the crash, where members of the NYPD ultimately recovered it.
Evidence recovered from the vehicle, including DNA on the gear shift, linked the defendant to the crime. He was arrested in July 2025.
The case was prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Alejandro Vera, of the District Attorney’s Blue Zone Trial Bureau, under the supervision Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Nocella, Chief of the District Attorney’s Street Safety Bureau, and Assistant District Attorney Kin Ng, Chief of the Blue Zone.
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