Man, 18, to face charges in hit-and-run crash that injured Boynton Beach pastor

Julius Whigham II, Palm Beach Post
·4 min read
A police officer helps Bishop Bernard Wright after he was hit by a car following a vigil marking one year since the death of Stanley Davis III.
A police officer helps Bishop Bernard Wright after he was hit by a car following a vigil marking one year since the death of Stanley Davis III.

BOYNTON BEACH — An 18-year-old Lantana man is facing criminal charges related to a hit-and-run vehicle crash that injured a Boynton Beach pastor in December.

City police investigators say Jamal Lormejuste was driving a rented white Chevrolet Camaro that struck Bishop Bernard Wright on the night of Dec. 26 on the 800 block of North Federal Highway. Lormejuste was taken into custody Wednesday on charges of reckless driving causing injury and leaving the scene of a crash with injury.

During a hearing Thursday at the Palm Beach County Jail, Circuit Court Judge Kirk Volker appointed Lormejuste a public defender and set his bail at $50,000. The judge also ordered that Lormejuste be placed on in-house arrest with an ankle monitor upon his release, that he refrain from driving and that he have no contact with the victim.

Lormejuste remained in custody as of Thursday afternoon, jail records showed. As a policy, the Palm Beach County Public Defender's Office does not comment on open cases.

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Hit-and-run crash came during vigil for Stanley Davis III

At the time of the crash, Wright, a one-time candidate for Boynton Beach's mayor and a recent candidate for the city commission, was attending a vigil he helped to organize for the one-year anniversary of the death of 13-year-old Stanley Davis III.

The Boynton Beach teen died the day after Christmas in 2021 when he crashed his dirt bike on North Federal while fleeing from police during an attempted traffic stop.

Bishop Bernard Wright is recovering at Delray Medical Center from injuries he sustained on Monday, Dec. 26, 2022, in a hit-and-run crash in Boynton Beach, his home city. Wright had organized a vigil for Stanley Davis III, a teen killed in a dirt-bike crash a year to the day before, and had stepped into the roadway moments before the vehicle struck him.

During the vigil, Wright stood shoulder-to-shoulder in the rain with Davis' family and friends. As he later crossed North Federal from west to east north of Boynton Beach Boulevard, a vehicle struck him and fled the scene, police said.

Wright, 70, was discharged from Delray Medical Center last month after undergoing multiple surgeries and weeks of rehabilitation.

Witnesses reported that a white vehicle, possibly a Camaro, was involved.

According to the arrest report, police identified a possible suspect vehicle after receiving an anonymous tip regarding a white Camaro with heavy passenger-side damage and a missing side mirror parked in the Cove at Boynton Beach apartment complex, about 3 miles southwest of the hit-and-run scene.

Officers located the registered owner of the Camaro, who advised that the vehicle is rented to a relative. Further investigation revealed text communications between the Camaro owner's relative and Lormejuste, according to the arrest report.

Bishop Bernard Wright relearns how to walk with the help of his occupational therapist, John Mandile, at Delray Medical Center on Monday, Feb. 6, 2023. Wright sustained serious injuries on Monday, Dec. 26, 2022, while leading a vigil in Boynton Beach, his home city.
Bishop Bernard Wright relearns how to walk with the help of his occupational therapist, John Mandile, at Delray Medical Center on Monday, Feb. 6, 2023. Wright sustained serious injuries on Monday, Dec. 26, 2022, while leading a vigil in Boynton Beach, his home city.

When asked about Lormejuste, the relative reportedly declined to talk and advised that he would not speak to police again. Investigators later located Lormejuste, who agreed to talk.

Police say 18-year-old knew details about car's route never made public

According to the report, Lormejuste told officers he was driving the Camaro on North Federal that night and admitted to hitting someone. He provided details about the route he took that were not disclosed to the public. He told officers he fled the scene because he was afraid of getting in trouble.

Surveillance-camera video recorded moments before the crash showed the Camaro speeding and using a bicycle lane to pass other vehicles, the report said.

Wright praised the investigation by Boynton Beach police, noting statistics that show that only about 10 percent of hit-and-run cases are ever solved.

During an interview just before his stint in rehabilitation ended, he told The Palm Beach Post that he found forgiveness in his heart for the person who hit him.

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Speaking to The Post on Thursday, Wright reiterated that point, saying he believes the crash was an accident. He said he hopes Lormejuste can avoid a penalty that involves serving either jail or prison time.

"He’s a young man, a high school student." Wright said. "Right now, I know it’s terrifying for him. I wouldn’t like to see him get thrown into the system because of a bad decision he made after an accident.”

Julius Whigham II is a criminal justice and public safety reporter for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jwhigham@pbpost.com and follow him on Twitter at @JuliusWhigham. Help support our work: Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Boynton Beach police make arrest in hit-and-run crash that injured pastor