MILWAUKEE — A Milwaukee woman has been criminally charged after allegedly hitting a rideshare driver while she was on her way home from work, leaving him in a coma.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Milwaukee police searching for driver in hit-and-run near Van Buren and Juneau
Jenni Fischer is facing one count of hit-and-run causing great bodily harm and one count of preparing or making fraudulent insurance claims, according to a criminal complaint filed Dec. 10.
Fischer is accused of going to great lengths to cover up the hit-and-run, including filing a false police report and insurance claim, as well as hiding her car in her parents’ barn in New Berlin.
Prosecutors allege Fischer struck the rideshare driver on Dec. 1 around 8:40 p.m. near Van Buren and Juneau streets as he was shaking hands with his passenger, who had asked for help removing his luggage from the trunk.
When questioned by police, the passenger claimed Fischer made no attempt to stop and kept driving southbound on Van Buren Street.
Prosecutors say that investigators were able to match vehicle parts recovered from the scene of the crash to Fischer’s vehicle during a search of her parents’ home, which investigators were led to by an alleged false insurance claim filed by Fischer.
When questioned by police, Fischer’s mother allegedly told investigators that her daughter was involved in the crash, not her husband, as he was listed as a co-owner of the vehicle.
However, the story her daughter allegedly told her about how she got into the crash was much different than what prosecutors say was shown in surveillance video.
Cover-up attempts alleged
Fischer allegedly told her mother her car was hit while she was at work near 1818 N. Hubbard St., which prosecutors say aligned with what she wrote in her insurance claim and her alleged false police report.
In the report made just a day after the crash, she allegedly claimed that her car was hit while she was at work, leaving the front right side of her vehicle smashed, the windshield cracked and the mirror broken.
However, prosecutors say this would not be possible because the street where she was parked was a two-way street, meaning her story about the right side of her car being damaged by a passing vehicle did not add up.
Instead, prosecutors allege her vehicle’s damage is consistent with the crash that sent the rideshare driver into a coma.
Surveillance evidence
Both of Fischer’s parents allegedly identified her in several stills taken from surveillance video from her apartment’s parking garage and building, which also allegedly showed her appearing to have difficulty walking up a staircase and fumbling with her keys.
At one point, prosecutors allege Fischer was seen leaning against the wall in her apartment building’s lobby while waiting for an elevator.
When shown surveillance video of the crash, Fischer’s mother allegedly responded, “Jesus Christ,” before telling officers her daughter’s insurance claim would need to be canceled because “it was not true.”
Fischer was later arrested at her parents’ house on Dec. 7.
Court proceedings
She appeared in court Dec. 11 for an initial appearance, where a judge set her cash bond at $20,000, according to court records.
Fischer is due back in court Dec. 17 for a preliminary hearing.
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.
