A hit-and-run crash that killed a pedestrian in Plantation over a year ago has resulted in the arrest of a 19-year-old Lauderhill man.
Jaden Perry had just turned 18 about three weeks before he got behind the wheel of a 2017 Mercedes Benz C300 on Feb. 1, 2021, according to the arrest report.
He had no driver’s license but was going up to 77 MPH in a 45 MPH zone westbound in the 4700 block of W. Sunrise Boulevard when he struck and killed Joby Liz Aquino-Gomera, 22, in a crosswalk, the report stated.
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The Mercedes Benz Emergency Response service was activated automatically after impact. An operator asked if the driver or anyone needed assistance.
On a recording of the call, a male voice can be heard saying, “someone jumped in front of the car, bro.”
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When the operator asked if anyone needed an ambulance, the response was “yeah, naw.” The operator asked for a yes or no answer and the answer was “no” but the operator called 911 anyway, police said.
Police found witnesses and a surveillance video from a Shell gas station that showed Perry and a 22-year-old woman passenger running from the crash scene.
Perry called a friend for a ride. His friend picked up Perry and the 22-year-old passenger who wanted to be driven home. She later told police, Perry and his friend kept driving around aimlessly late into the night and would not let her call her parents or take her home, detectives said.
She said Perry and his friend were afraid she would “rat” on Perry, the report stated.
Perry was arrested Thursday and charged with vehicular homicide, reckless driving, and failing to stop at the scene of an accident causing death, among other counts, records show.
At his first court appearance Friday, Perry heard from the victim’s emotional sister Nicole Aquino who said the death has left a 3-year-old girl without a mother.
“I want you to know this little girl has not stopped thinking about you, ‘The person who killed my mommy,’ like she says,” Aquino said in court. “I want you to know I don’t hate you but justice has to be [done] because even God, who loves us all dearly, punishes sin.”
The police report also indicated the daughter may have witnessed Aquino-Gomera’s death.
Perry remains in the Broward County Jail on bonds totaling $485,000 with a hold for an arrest warrant in St. Lucie County.
