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Milwaukee hit-and-run: Driver charged on release for 2 prior crashes
A Milwaukee man who’s never had a driver’s license and previously served prison time for hitting and nearly killing two people – in two separate hit-and-run crashes – is now charged in a recent crash that amputated the leg of an innocent bystander.
MILWAUKEE - A Milwaukee man who’s never had a driver’s license and previously served prison time for hitting and nearly killing two people – in two separate hit-and-run crashes – is now charged in a recent crash that amputated the leg of an innocent bystander.
Driver charged
In court:
On Tuesday, prosecutors charged 29-year-old Romeal O’Quin with first-degree reckless injury, hit-and-run causing great bodily harm, and knowingly operating without a valid driver’s license causing great bodily harm – all felonies, with habitual criminality enhancers.
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"Obviously an aggravated factor, in this particular case Mr. O'Quin, is that you are out on supervision for exactly the same type of offense," said Milwaukee County Circuit Court Commissioner Rosa Barillas. "And now we see the consequences of this type of behavior. Someone has had their life altered for the rest of their life."
What's next:
Barillas set O’Quin’s bond at $20,000 cash; he’s also being held on a parole violation hold. O’Quin is due back in court next week.
Romeal O'Quin appears in Milwaukee County court on Oct. 20, 2026.
35th and Hadley crash
The details:
The crash happened on Saturday, Oct. 17. Milwaukee police said officers tried to pull over a vehicle that had plates that didn’t match the vehicle, which was later determined to be stolen. The driver sped off and blew a stop sign at 35th and Hadley. That’s when the vehicle, driven by O’Quin, hit another car, then a pole and two bystanders on the corner.
One of those bystanders, a 40-year-old man, had serious injuries to one leg, and his other leg was severed above the knee, according to court filings. The driver of the second vehicle, a 52-year-old, was taken to the hospital to be checked out.
Milwaukee police also arrested a 45-year-old man who was a passenger in the stolen vehicle.
Surveillance of driver in hit-and-run near 35th and Hadley
Prior hit-and-run cases
What they're saying:
Milwaukee County Assistant District Attorney Tiffany Mitchell said Tuesday: "The defendant does not stay on the scene and flees. The defendant was on supervision and was released in January 2026 for two prior hit-and-run cases."
"This is absolutely not the life for me," O’Quin said to a Milwaukee County judge in December 2019, as he faced a possible 30 years in prison, charged in two separate hit-and-run cases, months apart, and left two men for dead.
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The backstory:
In May 2018, O’Quin hit 35-year-old Jonathan Campbell at 47th and Locust – doing an estimated 60-70 mph – nearly killing him. Months later, on Christmas Day 2018, O’Quin was doing nearly 90 mph while trying to speed away from police when he hit 58-year-old MCTS bus driver Robert Steckbauer as he was leaving work at Kinnickinnic and Mitchell. Steckbauer, who was in his car, was severely injured and on life support for several days, but survived.
"I don’t want these mistakes to destroy my future," O’Quin said at his sentencing in the two cases, adding that his experiences left him a changed man, according to court transcripts.
A judge sentenced O’Quin to seven years in prison.
The Source: Information in this story is from the Milwaukee Police Department, Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office and Wisconsin Circuit Court.