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Michael J. Brooks Jr.

Age : 20

Gender : Male

Race : Black

Date : 06/17/2021

Location : 1000 block County Welfare Road

City : Leesport

County : Berks

State : Pennsylvania

Agency : Bern Township Police Department

Officer(s) :Not Disclosed

Cause of Death : Vehicle

Event : Passenger killed by police chase crash

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

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REASON FOR CHASE: Bern Township police attempted to stop a vehicle driven by Jashwa Marquis Colon after officers observed what the Berks County District Attorney’s Office described as a motor-vehicle violation. Available public records do not specify the exact violation.
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NARRATIVE:
On 06/17/2021, Bern Township Police Department officers attempted to stop a vehicle driven by Jashwa Marquis Colon on County Welfare Road after observing a motor-vehicle violation. Colon accelerated away and police pursued the vehicle. Michael J. Brooks Jr., 20, and a 15-year-old girl from Lebanon, Pennsylvania, were passengers in the vehicle.
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Colon drove at high speed while fleeing police on County Welfare Road. The pursuit ended in the 1000 block of County Welfare Road when Colon lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a tree. Brooks and the 15-year-old passenger sustained fatal injuries and were pronounced dead at the scene. Colon survived the crash.
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The Berks County Coroner’s Office identified Brooks following the crash. The 15-year-old girl's identity was withheld at her family's request and she was subsequently identified in criminal court records only by the initials J.M.
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DISPOSITION:
The fleeing driver was Jashwa Marquis Colon. Colon was subsequently prosecuted for causing the deaths of Brooks and J.M. He pleaded guilty to two counts of homicide by vehicle and was sentenced to 5½ to 14 years in Pennsylvania state prison.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND:
The Bern Township Police Department officer or officers who attempted the traffic stop and pursued Colon have not been publicly identified in available records.
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TOTAL FATALITIES/INJURIES: 2 fatalities
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SOURCE LINKS :

https://www.wfmz.com/news/area/berks/coroner-ids-2-killed-in-crash-after-police-chase-in-bern/article_891d6b30-d02d-11eb-b3fa-affd8fbef1af.html
https://www.facebook.com/BerksDA/posts/jashwa-marquis-colon-was-sentenced-yesterday-to-5%C2%BD-14-years-in-state-prison-afte/675090711322014/