Aurora police chaplain injured in crash

A popular Aurora Police Department chaplain was in serious condition Monday with what officials said were not life-threatening injuries after a marked squad car he was riding in crashed Sunday.

The Rev. Jerome “Father Jerry” Leake, 68, of Aurora, was in the front passenger seat with a 26-year-old police officer as they responded to a call of a burglary in progress on the city's east side at about 8:40 p.m.

The squad car had its lights and sirens on as it headed east on Fifth Avenue near State Street.

Officials say the car hit a patch of ice and spun off the road on the north side of Fifth Avenue, striking a tree on the car's passenger side.

Aurora firefighters extricated Leake from the vehicle and transported both Leake and the officer to Rush-Copley Medical Center in Aurora.

The officer, a three-year veteran of the Aurora Police Department who authorities did not name, was treated and released.

Leake, however, was airlifted to another area hospital for further treatment.

“He is a revered member of the Aurora Police Department,” spokesman Dan Ferrelli said. “He's looked at as one of the boys.”

Leake, who serves as pastor of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Aurora, rides along with officers at least once a week, Ferrelli said.

“Not enough can be said about the service Father Leake offers to the community and to the officers of the police department,” Ferrelli said.

News of Leake's accident started reaching parishioners of the church Monday morning and business manager Marianne Reier said she fielded numerous calls seeking information about his condition.

Reier said Leake called her home Sunday night and seemed to be in good spirits, expressing concern for the officer who was driving the car. He also wanted to make sure three funerals he had been scheduled to oversee this week were taken care of.

“I talked to him and, being the kind of person he is, his concern was for the people he serves,” she said. “I told him, ‘We will take care of it.' He's very selfless and cares so much about others.”

Leake has served the church for nearly 20 years, Reier said. She said his ride-alongs are among his favorite things to do.

“This is very important to him and he takes it very seriously,” she said. “He enjoys it because he often brings his police work into his homilies on Sunday and shares a part of his life.”

The Aurora Police Traffic Division is investigating the crash, officials said. No tickets were issued.