NORRISTOWN — A Norristown man is on his way to prison for leaving the scene of a collision with a bicyclist, who subsequently died from injuries sustained in the crash.
Jose Gonzalez-Martinez, 26, of the 800 block of West Lafayette Street, was sentenced in Montgomery County Court to 2 to 5 years in a state correctional facility after he pleaded guilty to a felony charge of accidents involving death and driving without a license in connection with the July 17, 2023, hit-and-run incident that claimed the life of John Walter Green of Norristown.
Judge Thomas P. Rogers imposed the sentence as part of a plea agreement. The judge ordered Gonzalez-Martinez to have no contact with Green’s family as a condition of the sentence.
“He admitted to being involved in an accident in which someone was killed and he didn’t stop at the scene,” said Assistant District Attorney Tanner Christian Beck, explaining the nature of Gonzalez-Martinez’s admission, adding the collision was recorded by surveillance cameras in the area. “He acknowledged that he had hit someone and was involved in an accident. There are requirements that come with that, obviously you have to stop and render aid and you have to call the police.”
The victim’s family supported the resolution to the case, Beck said.
Defense lawyer Scott Frame said Gonzalez-Martinez is remorseful for his conduct.
“He was very remorseful. From the beginning, he was cooperative with police. He admitted to what happened and wanted to express remorse to the victim’s family in this case,” Frame said.
The investigation began about 9:31 a.m. July 17 when Norristown police responded to the intersection of West Washington Street and Haws Avenue for a report of a vehicle striking a bicyclist and then fleeing the scene.
Arriving officers found Green lying in the middle of the intersection.
“The male bicyclist was unconscious and had sustained life-threatening injuries as the result of the collision. The vehicle involved was not on location and had fled the scene,” Norristown Police Officer Alcides Licona wrote in a criminal complaint.
Green, who suffered head trauma, was transported to Einstein Montgomery Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 10:37 a.m., according court papers.
Detectives were able to retrieve video footage from surveillance cameras in the area that recorded the collision. The video footage depicted a black Chevrolet Camaro traveling west on the 600 block of West Washington Street, approaching a four-way stop intersection at Haws Avenue. Authorities were unable to determine specifically if the Camaro came to a complete stop but the video footage showed the vehicle “passing through the intersection at a high rate of speed,” according to the arrest affidavit.
Green, who was riding his bicycle southbound in the 100 block of Haws Avenue, disregarded his stop sign at the intersection, continued through the intersection and struck the Camaro on the passenger side, according to court documents. Green was ejected from his bicycle and struck his head on the street surface, police said.
“The Chevrolet Camaro was observed driving away at the same speed, not stopping or slowing down to render aid to John Green,” Licona alleged.
Police later located the 2010 Camaro in the 100 block of Knox Street and observed it had a dent and large scratches on the passenger side. Police subsequently traced the vehicle to Gonzalez-Martinez’s address.
During an interview by police, Gonzalez-Martinez said he owned the Camaro and that he was driving from a friend’s house at the time of the collision. Gonzalez-Martinez claimed he came to a complete stop at the intersection and then proceeded through the intersection when a bicyclist struck his vehicle, according to court papers.
When police asked Gonzalez-Martinez why he didn’t stop and render aid, he said “he was scared and just drove home and parked his car,” court documents indicate. Gonzalez-Martinez also admitted that he did not have a valid driver’s license.
Beck said the case is a reminder to all drivers about their legal requirements when they are involved in a crash.
“You need to stop at the scene when you’re involved in an accident because you’re the first one there and you need to be able call police so that medical personnel can get there quickly and render aid and maybe save someone’s life,” Beck said.
Testimony revealed that Gonzalez-Martinez was not a legal resident of the U.S. and he likely faces deportation proceedings after he completes his prison sentence.
