What to Know
- Jessica Ledee, the suspected driver in a hit-and-run crash that left a homeless woman dead, is now in custody, police said.
- Police say the driver rear-ended a vehicle, fled the scene, jumped a curb and then ran over a homeless woman and a man who was with her.
- Rhiannon Broderick, who was on the sidewalk, suffered fatal head injuries.
A woman surrendered to face homicide by vehicle charges in a hit-and-run crash that left a homeless woman dead and her boyfriend hurt.
Jessica Ledee surrendered to police in the Brewerytown section of Philadelphia Tuesday night.
Police say Ledee, who owns a 2002 silver Honda Odyssey minivan, ran away on foot Monday night after being involved in two crashes in the Kensington section of the city ravaged by homelessness and drugs.
The ordeal began around 8:30 p.m. Monday at the intersection of Kensington Avenue and Cambria Street. A woman in silver Honda Odyssey rear-ended a vehicle stopped at a red light, police said. The woman in the van then drove away from the scene and lost control of her vehicle.
The minivan driver then jumped a curb and ran over a 22-year-old homeless woman, identified as Rhiannon Broderick, originally of Burlington, New Jersey, as well as her boyfriend who were both lying on a mattress on the sidewalk, police said.
Broderick suffered severe head trauma. The 22-year-old was taken to Temple University Hospital where she was pronounced dead a short time later. Broderick's 27-year-old boyfriend suffered bumps and bruises from being struck but was conscious when responders arrived.
The woman in the van continued to flee but was followed by the vehicle she had rear-ended earlier, police said. She then exited the van on North Coral Street, got into a brief argument with the driver she rear-ended, and fled the scene on foot, investigators said.
Police later recovered the hit-and-run vehicle thanks to the driver from the original hit-and-run. The entire front bumper fell off, investigators said.
Police located an address where the minivan was registered and spoke with people at that location. Ledee turned herself in with her attorney on hand, police said.
Ledee is facing homicide by vehicle, fleeing the scene of a crash, assault, driving without a license and related charges, police said. The 34-year-old has yet to comment on the charges.
During the hit-and-run, the van also crashed into a container full of used syringes. Dozens of syringes were spotted on the ground at the scene of the crash.
The city has tried to help battle drug usage and living on the streets in Kensington. Workers have cleaned out encampments, opened shelters and handed out doses of the overdose reversal drug Naloxone to community groups.
Earlier this month, Mayor Jim Kenney issued an executive order declaring a disaster that allows the Office of Emergency Management to create an emergency operations center there, Philadelphia magazine reported. And it will create a task force — which every city agency is required to assist when needed — so that the problem can be addressed from multiple angles.
But officials say it's a losing battle. "We certainly recognize that things have gotten worse, that the neighborhood is under siege," Brian Abernathy, Philadelphia's first deputy managing director, told Philly.com last month. "People are suffering. We have to do better, and we're exploring new approaches. We expect to have something soon."
