A security guard from the Hasidic Jewish community of Montreal was found guilty of dangerous driving causing injury on Monday, for driving crazy while responding to an alleged emergency call, according to our information.
“A witness saw the accused’s vehicle arriving at full speed on Van Horne Avenue, he ran the red light on Parc. Just afterwards, she heard the collision,” explained M.e Anik Archambault of the Crown, this Monday at the Montreal courthouse.
With his head lowered, Moshe Heilpern, 29, listened to the prosecutor recount his crime which occurred in the summer of 2023, during the morning rush hour.
According to our information, Heilpern was working as a security guard for his community at the time. At one point, he received a call to go to someone’s house urgently.
Moshe Heilpern, an officer who patrols for the Hasidic Jewish community of Outremont, is accused of dangerous driving in connection with a collision that seriously injured a motorist in August 2023.
Photo provided by a source
No braking
Aboard his white Ford Transit registered in Florida, he hit the road. However, even though he is not a peace officer and his vehicle was therefore not equipped with flashing lights, he began to speed off without worrying about road safety.
“According to the module in his vehicle, he was traveling at 73 km/h,” indicates the summary of facts. The speed limit was 40 km/h.
And according to a witness, at one point, Heilpern even drove the wrong way before burning out the light and violently hitting a Nissan Altima with three people on board.
“There was no sign of braking according to a collision expert,” we read in the court document.
Moshe Heilpern completely covered his face as he appeared before the media after pleading guilty to dangerous driving causing harm.
Photo MICHAËL NGUYEN
Seriously injured
Following the collision, all three passengers in the Nissan were transported to hospital. But if the injuries turned out to be minor for two of them, the third occupant suffered a cervical fracture, which caused him to be hospitalized for two months.
Heilpern, for his part, was charged with dangerous driving causing injury. He was back in court on Monday to set a date for a preliminary investigation. But before judge Joëlle Roy, he made an about-face by admitting his crime.
At the request of his lawyer, Me Jeffrey Boro, Heilpern will meet with a probation officer in the coming months, in order to draw up his portrait and assess his risk of recidivism, among other things.
He should receive his sentence in the fall. Until then, he will remain on provisional release, although his driving license has already been confiscated.
