WEST PALM BEACH, FL — A West Palm Beach woman was arrested Friday in connection with a January hit-and-run crash that killed a pedestrian at a busy Palm Beach County intersection. Deputies with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office said 31-year-old Beatrice Telisca was taken into custody more than seven months after the collision on Jog Road near Okeechobee Boulevard. The crash happened late at night and involved a 26-year-old man identified in the traffic report as Gage Chidester. Investigators say Telisca later acknowledged she was the driver.
Crash At Busy Intersection
According to the PBSO Traffic Division report, the collision happened around 10:25 p.m. on Jan. 24 at Jog Road and Okeechobee Boulevard. Deputies said Telisca was driving a 2022 Nissan Altima north on Jog Road when the traffic signal turned yellow. At the same time, Chidester was crossing westbound across Jog Road in a marked crosswalk while the pedestrian signal showed not to walk. The report says the front right side of Telisca’s car hit him as he entered the intersection. The impact threw him onto the vehicle’s fender and windshield before he fell into the northbound right lane.
Victim Died At Scene
Deputies said Telisca’s vehicle kept moving forward after the impact and ran over Chidester. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The traffic report noted that Telisca slowed immediately after the crash before continuing northbound and leaving the area. Law enforcement later connected the crash to her. The report also said deputies listed Chidester as homeless. No additional details about his background were included in the information released with the arrest. The scene involved one of the county’s busier road corridors, where traffic and pedestrian movement can intersect quickly and with serious consequences.
Investigators Find Driver
Traffic investigators later located Telisca at her West Palm Beach home, according to deputies. There, she provided a sworn statement admitting she had been driving during the crash, authorities said. The arrest came more than seven months after the fatal collision, underscoring the length of the investigation before deputies made an arrest. Authorities did not release additional information Friday about what led them to identify Telisca or what charges she faced beyond the arrest tied to the hit-and-run death. The case remains a homicide investigation centered on the fatal January crash.
What The Record Shows
The traffic report places the sequence of events at the center of the case: a yellow light, a pedestrian in a marked crosswalk, a collision, and a driver who left the scene after slowing briefly. Deputies said Telisca was operating the Altima northbound when the crash occurred, and Chidester was crossing westbound. The report states he was struck by the front right of the vehicle and then run over as the car continued forward. Friday’s arrest provides the first public indication that investigators had completed enough of the case to move forward. The sheriff’s office has not released any further findings in the matter.
