Driver pleads guilty, gets 45-day sentence in 2022 crash that killed 10-year-old girl.

A man charged in the death of a 10-year-old girl who died after he slammed into the back of her mother's car in October 2022 pleaded guilty this week and was immediately sentenced.

Grace Baca was in the car with her mother, Megan Baca, when Jay Gergen slammed into their car on Oct. 8, 2022 in Commerce City.

The accident happened only a few minutes from the Bacas' home. The accident sent Grace into a coma. She died on Nov. 11, 2022.


Gergen appeared in Adams County District Court on Wednesday where he pleaded guilty to a single count of careless driving resulting in death. A second charge of careless driving resulting in injury was dismissed as a result of the plea.

He was sentenced to 45 days in jail and two years of probation. He will also have to serve 200 hours of community service.

“There's moments where I am in disbelief still. I feel like it was just yesterday I could hear her voice,” Megan Baca told 9NEWS previously. “She was just so special and just so sweet, and just a really good person.

16-year-old arrested in connection to fatal Aurora party shooting
A 19-year-old man was shot and killed on Saturday evening

Aurora police arrested a teenager on suspicion of first-degree murder following a fatal shooting at a party on Saturday.

A 16-year-old boy was arrested in connection to the shooting and killing of a 19-year-old man on Saturday evening, according to a Friday social media post by the Aurora Police Department. The suspect potentially faces first-degree murder charges following a review by the Adams County District Attorney's Office.

Police responded to a call reporting a shooting at a rented events facility off the 2000 block of North Tower Road around 11:30 p.m. Saturday, according to a news release from the department.

Police arrived at what they described as “a large party of people including juveniles and young adults."

Upon arrival, responders found the 19-year-old suffering from a gunshot wound. He was taken to a nearby hospital where he later died from his injuries.

A second man suffered from gunshot wounds but was later released from the hospital, according to the department.

The venue was rented out for a party involving a large group of people. Initial investigations found that an argument escalated between two people who knew each other, eventually leading to the shooting.

Videos and witness testimony from the event greatly helped identify the suspect," the department said Friday of the arrest.

A shooting investigation from a party in Aurora Saturday night turned into a homicide investigation Monday after a wounded 19-year-old was later pronounced dead in the hospital.

On Saturday around 11:30 p.m., police received a call reporting a shooting at a rented out facility off the 2000 block of North Tower Road, according to an Aurora Police Department news release.

Police arrived at what they described as “a large party of people including juveniles and young adults."


Once there, they found a 19-year-old man with a gunshot wound and transported him to the hospital with serious injuries, police said when reporting the shooting on Sunday morning.

The teenager later died from his injuries at the hospital, police said on Monday.

A second man sustained gunshot wounds and has since been released from the hospital, police added.

Authorities said the party venue was rented out for a large group of people. Initial investigation shows an argument escalated between two people who knew each other, police said.

The two victims were shot during the argument as people evacuated the building, police said, adding that additional shots were fired outside.

No additional victims were reported.

The Aurora Police Department Major Crime Homicide Unit is investigating Saturday night’s shooting.