A Massachusetts man who prosecutors allege drove his SUV into an Apple Store last November, killing one person and "seriously injuring" 22 others, pleaded not guilty Monday during an arraignment hearing.
Bradley Rein, 53, of Hingham, entered the plea weeks after he was indicted by a Plymouth County grand jury on counts of murder in the second degree and motor vehicle homicide by reckless operation in relation to the death of 65-year-old Kevin Bradley of Wayne, New Jersey.
Rein also pleaded not guilty to reckless operation of a motor vehicle, 18 counts of aggravated assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, and four counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, according to the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office.
"The Commonwealth sought and the Court imposed additional conditions on Rein while out on bail," the DA's office also said, including that he "cannot operate a motor vehicle, he cannot leave the Commonwealth without prior approval, he must wear a GPS monitoring bracelet, surrender his passport, and not possess weapons."
MASSACHUSETTS MAN INDICTED ON MURDER CHARGE FOR APPLE STORE CRASH
Prosecutors say the indictments followed an investigation into the Nov. 21, 2022 incident in which "Hingham Police received multiple 911 calls for a car into a storefront window at the Apple Store located in Derby Shops in Hingham, with multiple people injured."
Bradley was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the DA's office.
"The indictments allege that Rein was behind the wheel and operating his 2019 Toyota 4Runner when it crashed through the front glass window of the Apple Store," the office said Monday. "Preliminarily, investigators found that during the five seconds before the crash Rein was accelerating the SUV up to 60 m.p.h. and there was no indication of brake usage during that time."
An attorney representing Rein previously told prosecutors in November that he had tried to brake but could not, as his foot "got stuck on the accelerator."
"Although the outcome of this accident was horrific – and I don’t want to downplay that – it was just that. It was an accident," Rein’s court-appointed attorney, identified by The Patriot Ledger newspaper as Alison King, said at the time.
"As you heard from his summary and the state police reports, Mr. Rein was very cooperative with the police, agreed to searches, to breathalyzers, to speaking with them. He was not under the influence of alcohol – he blew a 0.0 on a preliminary breathalyzer, and the blood draw should come back with nothing in his system as well," she continued.
"As he explained, his foot got stuck on the accelerator -- as he explained to me -- between the accelerator pedals and the side," the lawyer added. "He tried to move his foot and get it unstuck. He also tried to brake with his other foot while he was doing that, but he was unable to."
In a police report, Rein told State Trooper Andrew Chiachio following the crash that he drove to the strip mall where the Apple Store was located to repair a lens in his eyeglasses, which he was not wearing at the time of the incident, according to The Patriot Ledger.
"While driving in the area of Barnes and Noble, Mr. Rein stated his right foot became stuck on the accelerator and his vehicle accelerated," the newspaper quoted the trooper as writing. "Mr. Rein stated he used his left foot to try to brake, but was unable to stop the vehicle and crashed through the front of the Apple Store."
