By Palm Beach & Broward Mugshots
Investigators say the pedestrian crossed against the signal—but allege the driver left despite the force of the collision
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — A West Palm Beach woman has been arrested more than six months after a pedestrian was struck and klled at the intersection of Jog Road and Okeechobee Boulevard.
Beatrice Telisca, 31, was taken into custody on July 31 and charged with leaving the scene of a crash involving death, a felony under Florida law. The charge stems from the January 24 death of 26-year-old Gage Chidester.
According to a probable cause affidavit filed by the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, deputies began receiving 911 calls about a vehicle-versus-pedestrian collision at approximately 10:25 p.m.
When deputies arrived, they found Chidester in the southeast portion of the intersection. West Palm Beach Fire Rescue pronounced him dead at the scene.
Investigators reported finding pieces of a headlight, a passenger-side mirror cover and other vehicle debris scattered across the roadway. The debris and witness accounts led investigators to identify the involved vehicle as a 2022 Nissan Altima traveling north on Jog Road.
INVESTIGATORS SAY PEDESTRIAN ENTERED VEHICLE’S PATH
The affidavit makes an important distinction concerning how the collision occurred.
Investigators concluded that Telisca entered the intersection while the traffic signal was not red. Chidester was reportedly running westbound within the marked crosswalk but against the pedestrian crossing signal.
According to the investigating deputy, Chidester ran into the path of the Altima, resulting in the fatal collision.
Telisca is not accused in the affidavit of unlawfully causing the initial collision. The criminal charge concerns what investigators allege she did afterward.
DAMAGED VEHICLE LOCATED AT CONDOMINIUM COMPLEX
Investigators later located the Altima at a condominium complex in West Palm Beach. Deputies reported that a mirror cover recovered from the crash scene matched the vehicle’s missing passenger-side mirror cover.
The Altima also had damage to its passenger-side front fender, mirror and windshield. Investigators described the damage as consistent with Chidester being projected onto the windshield before falling from the vehicle.
During a post-Miranda sworn interview, Telisca allegedly admitted that she had been driving the Altima.
According to the affidavit, Telisca said she saw people running across the roadway before the collision and knew that her vehicle had struck something. She reportedly denied knowing that she had struck a person and told investigators that she believed she had hit “one of their dogs.”
Investigators said Telisca returned home without reporting the collision.
The investigating deputy wrote that the force of the impact, the sound of the collision, the damage to the vehicle and Chidester’s alleged projection onto the windshield supported the conclusion that Telisca knew—or should have known—that someone had suffered serious injury or death.
Based on those circumstances, investigators sought the felony charge of leaving the scene of a crash involving death.
The case is filed in Palm Beach County Circuit Court as 50-2026-CF-005762.
The charge is an allegation. Telisca is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
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