Alex Thomas
An 8-year-old boy and jump rope champion who enjoyed brief fame for his appearance on the “The Tonight Show” was killed while walking home from a fundraiser over the weekend.
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Jerry Grant was the youngest member of “The Honey Bees,” which is a champion jump-rope group from Jersey City, New Jersey. He was the only male member of the troupe, which was featured on “The Tonight Show” in August. Honey Bees founder Takeria Clark told The Jersey Journal that they were walking home from a fundraiser to raise money for uniforms when Grant was struck by a Jeep. She recalled, “We all stopped at the corner and Jerry heard ‘go’ from another jumper and ran in the street. The car was going so fast. It hit him so hard.”
The young star was rushed to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. The driver, who is identified only as a 60-year-old man, drove away but was later flagged down by spectators. He stayed at the scene until authorities arrived, he has not been charged, NBC New York reports.
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One witness who flagged down the driver says that the man “thought he hit a book bag.” A YouCaring page raising money to help Jerry’s family has already raised over $4,100.
