The Tampa, Florida home where Scott Grebler was allegedly run over by a car driven by his nephew Jordan Aronson (screengrab via Fox13/WTVT). Inset: Jordan Aronson (via Tampa Police Department).
The man accused of running over his uncle with a Jeep in the older man’s driveway has been charged with murder days after the alleged victim died from his injuries.
Jordan Aronson, 21, is facing second-degree murder charges in the death of Scott Grebler in Tampa, Florida, court records show. He has pleaded not guilty.
According to Tampa police, Aronson made an emergency call on June 13, telling dispatchers that he had hit an adult male with his car in the driveway of a residence. Aronson said that he knew the man he had hit, and added that he had left the area but that the victim was “on the floor” and needed help but was still breathing when he drove away.
First responders took Grebler to a nearby hospital. Having suffered multiple traumatic injuries, including injuries to the skull and brain, Grebler was placed on a ventilator, according to police. He lingered for eight days before dying at the hospital on June 21, at which point police reclassified the investigation as a homicide.
The following day, Aronson was charged with murder with a weapon, according to court documents. He was arrested on June 23 in Ft. Lauderdale.
Aronson had initially said that Grebler had tried to attack him — a story that Tampa Police say unraveled during subsequent post-Miranda discussions with Aronson.
According to a probable cause affidavit, Aronson told investigators that Grebler “threw a ceramic mug at his vehicle (black Jeep) and then proceeded to chase him around the vehicle. His uncle then did a double close-fisted punch to his chest. Aronson got into his vehicle to leave but failed to straighten his tires before reversing. While reversing he went off the driveway onto the sidewalk. He then pulled back into the driveway to straighten his wheels and struck his uncle with his vehicle.”
Aronson also described his uncle as “delusional,” the affidavit says.
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While surveillance video did show an altercation between Grebler and Aronson, police said that the video also “refutes some assertions made by Aronson” — specifically the order of events that led to Aronson running over his uncle with his Jeep.
Specifically, the video shows that “Aronson back[ed] the Jeep to the road, at which time the victim picks up a three-ring binder filled with paperwork, runs toward the Jeep, and threw the binder at the Jeep. Aronson then quickly drives straight forward into the driveway, striking the victim with the front driver’s side of the vehicle.”
As Grebler began to fall toward the driver’s side of the Jeep, police said, “Aronson turned the vehicle towards that same side, appearing to track the falling victim. The Jeep then stopped as it appeared to hit a palm tree, with the victim on the ground, adjacent to the tree and tire.”
Aronson then backed the Jeep into the road, according to police.
A witness walking his dog in the area at the time told police that “he observed a black Wrangler Jeep reverse fast out of a driveway, with paper flying all over the road, before speeding back into the driveway.” The car idled for around 30 seconds, during which time the witness heard “two loud screams coming from the vehicle” before it drove away.
The witness walked toward the residence, where he found “business checks and a black binder on the roadway in front of the house. He also saw a broken coffee cup in the driveway.” The witness then saw Grebler on the ground, bleeding from his head, and called police immediately.
Police said Grebler was in his late 50s at the time of his death. According to a report by Tampa Fox affiliate WTVT, Grebler was a founding member of the 13 Ugly Men charity. The group, whose motto is “party with a purpose,” is known for hosting fundraising parties in the area with profits going to charities. In February, the Tampa City Council recognized the group for its outstanding contributions to the community, WTVT reported.
More from Law&Crime: Man allegedly beat his hard-luck uncle to death with a 10-pound weight, told police he acted in self-defense because the victim was ‘engaging in genocide’ with the UN
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