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Mugshot of Jeremy Allen. Photo Credit: THE VIRGIN ISLANDS POLICE DEPARTMENT
ST. CROIX — Jeremy Allen is back before the criminal courts after being identified as the suspect who stole two vehicles before crashing one of them into a van parked on the shoulder of a roadway.
About 9:15 on Tuesday morning, police responded to a two-vehicle collision on Route 63 where they met with one of the drivers involved. The driver of a Chevrolet Express, who was standing on the western shoulder of the northbound lane, informed police that the other driver, who had been behind the wheel of a blue Toyota Yaris, left the scene on foot.
The first driver said he later received a call that the other man had been spotted at the Gateway Service Station in Peter's Rest.
Recounting to police the sequence of events that led up to the collision, the driver of the Chevrolet said that he was traveling south on Southside Road when he pulled over to the eastern shoulder of his lane to pick up a co-worker, near H&H Tire Battery. As he waited in the vehicle with his head held down, he says he felt an impact to the front of the van. The vehicle was then pushed into the reinforcement wall at Plot #8 Estate Pearl by the Yaris, a much smaller car. The driver of the Chevrolet Express said he then saw the driver of the blue Toyota exit the car, heard him shout that the vehicle had insurance, and then watched him walk away from the scene.
Police also spoke with the man’s co-worker, who corroborated the driver’s story. The colleague said that after entering the vehicle he heard tires screeching, which prompted him to look up only to see the Yaris swerving out of control at high speed. It veered onto the eastern shoulder of the road and collided head-on with the Chevrolet Express. He said that the force of the impact pushed the van into a nearby wall, causing damage.
Both driver and passenger of the vehicle initially declined medical attention, but the passenger subsequently sought medical attention at the Juan F Hospital for a swollen hand caused by the crash.
Investigations revealed that the blue Yaris had been reported stolen earlier that morning. Armed with a description of the driver and the last known location of the man, later identified as Jeremy Allen, police tracked him down and returned him to the scene of the collision. There, he was positively identified by the driver and passenger of the Chevrolet Express. Allen was then taken to the Juan Luis Hospital where he was treated for lacerations to both his knees.
The rightful owner of the Yaris was contacted and traveled to the scene. He told police that he parked the car in the Cheeseburger in Paradise parking lot about 7:00 a.m. and went on a bike ride with friends, leaving the keys on the floor of the driver’s seat. While riding along the road, he says he received a call from a friend who was a bit further up, telling him that his Yaris had been stolen and had just passed him on the road. He immediately called 911 to report the incident.
Meanwhile, police soon learned that Allen had allegedly stolen another vehicle even before he absconded with the Yaris. Reports indicate that he left home around 5:00 a.m. and shortly thereafter was seen at Big A Service Station. The establishment was not yet open, but an employee who was already inside the building declined Allen’s request to come inside. That employee says he then watched Allen go around to the back of the building and drive off in a box truck belonging to the business next door, traveling on Queen Mary at a high rate of speed.
The truck’s owner reportedly recovered the vehicle some hours later, parked under a tree in an empty lot in Mount Pleasant. The vehicle bore damage to its roof and side walls. While waiting for the forensics team to arrive on the scene, police learned of the collision involving the Yaris and the Express, where the suspect matched Allen’s description.
Speaking with police at the hospital, Allen told them that he saw the Yaris in the Cheeseburger in Paradise parking lot, noticed its keys still in the ignition, and decided to take the vehicle for a joyride. He says he saw five men with bikes who tried to stop him along the way to Half Penny Beach, but he continued driving.
Police began to suspect that Allen was not in touch with reality when he told them that as he approached H&H Tire Shop, the Yaris started acting like it was magnetically attracted to the other vehicles and subsequently automatically collided with the Chevrolet like a bumper car.
Allen was placed under arrest and initially charged with two counts of unauthorized use of vehicle and negligent driving, however court records indicate that the latter charge was dropped following his advice of rights hearing on April 5th. During that hearing, the presiding judge ordered that a psychological and psychiatric evaluation be completed on Allen before he could be released.
This is not Allen’s first brush with the law. In 2020, he led officers on a high speed chase after stealing a vehicle belonging to the Department of Health. Charges in that matter were dismissed after Allen entered into a plea agreement with prosecutors.
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