Man Charged with Reckless Homicide after Killing Lutheran Pastor in Crash

By admin On Oct 17, 2022

A 22-year-old man has been arrested and charged with second-degree reckless homicide for running a red light and crashing into a Lutheran pastor driving to work last week.

The driver, later identified as Jose Silva, was speeding, going approximately 74 mph, before crashing into 40-year-old Pastor Aaron Strong of Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church of Milwaukee Wednesday morning.

According to Fox 6, Silva told police he had jury duty at the Milwaukee County Courthouse and was running late.

Strong was taken to a local hospital after the crash, where he died from severe injuries.

According to a surveillance video from Marquette University, Silva ran the red light while driving the wrong way. A criminal complaint states that he did not apply brakes until two seconds before the crash, The Christian Post reported.

Grace Evangelical Lutheran broke the news of Strong’s death on the church’s Facebook page and urged people to keep Strong’s wife, Abbie, and their two children in their prayers.

“Like Job, the question ‘Why?’ troubles all of us regarding this tragedy. Like Job, we are reminded that our majestic God does not always provide an answer to that question. But what brings us everlasting comfort is that God’s mercy shines as bright as his majesty,” the church wrote.

The Rev. Brian Hackmann, who serves as an outreach pastor at Grace, remembered Strong as “a person that was full of joy.”

“He was full of life,” Hackman told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “He had a smile on his face, an infectious laugh. He was a person that was pretty easy to get along with. … He had the love of Jesus in his heart in a big way.”

Strong, who had been serving at Grace since 2015, was born in St. Paul, Minnesota and was the son of a pastor himself. He graduated from the Minnesota-based Martin Luther College and Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary. Before coming to Grace, Strong planted a church in Las Vegas and served there for seven years as its pastor.

Last Sunday, Strong preached what would be his final sermon in a message titled “The Gift That Keeps on Giving.”

“We are less than 80 days away from Christmas,” he said as he preached from 2 Corinthians 9:10-15. “Thirty percent of Americans will start their Christmas shopping during this month.”

“Whenever you start, maybe you’ll want to start thinking about a gift that maybe is long-lasting, something that is a gift that keeps on giving.”

“The Apostle Paul gives us a far greater gift in our reading today from 2nd Corinthians Chapter 9. A gift that truly is one that keeps on giving,” the late pastor added.

Last week, Grace Lutheran Church launched a GoFundMe campaign for Strong’s family. So far, it has raised over $85,000 out of its $100,000 goal.

Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer. He is also the co-hosts of the For Your Soul podcast, which seeks to equip the church with biblical truth and sound doctrine. Visit his blog Blessed Are The Forgiven.

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