A 26-year-old London man is facing charges in connection to the July 2019 hit-and-run collision that critically injured Tristan Roby, London police announced Thursday.
The then-17-year-old had been riding his bike with a friend along Exeter Road on the night of July 21 when he was struck from behind by a vehicle near Wonderland Road.
The vehicle involved fled the scene and was tailed by a witness who later detained a fleeing passenger, police said at the time of the collision. The vehicle itself was located at a nearby parking lot.
Roby, who turned 18 three days after the collision, was left in a coma for more than a month, hospitalized with a traumatic brain injury, a fractured leg, bruised lungs, a broken jaw, and several abrasions and contusions — injuries he continues to recover from. He returned home from the hospital in late October.
Since the incident, updates in the case have proved elusive. In October, police said they had received a number of tips, but added investigators needed more.
On Thursday, nearly six months after the hit-and-run, London police announced an arrest in the case.
Jesse Aron Bleck, 26, of London was taken into custody Wednesday and charged with failure to stop at the scene of an accident causing bodily harm and two counts of operation of a vehicle while prohibited, police said. He was scheduled to appear in court on Thursday.
“Our investigators are human, and they see the impact of this, and they take it to heart,” London Police Chief Steve Williams told reporters at city hall on Thursday as the London Police Services Board met in council chambers.
“I am so proud of the tenacity and perseverance because they never let go of this investigation.”
Since returning home, Roby has been undergoing physiotherapy and is showing small signs of improvement, his mother, Abby Roby, says.
Roby said her son has also said a few words — a promising development. “He said ‘Mom,’ he said ‘hey,’ he said ‘no,’ and the other day his nurse was bugging him and be dropped the f-bomb.”
“That’s my boy,” she said with a laugh.
“I feel bad for this kid. I keep imagining him, like, trapped inside his body, that he can’t really say what he’s feeling. And sometimes he feels down, he feels depressed. He’s used to being busy, and this must be so frustrating for him.”
Roby said she learned of the arrest on Thursday before police announced it to the public. She said she was excited there had been an update in the investigation, but added that the long wait had been hard on her and the family.
Police said they were continuing to investigate the incident. Anyone with information is asked to contact London police at 519-661-5670 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
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