Family of well known Detroit-area pastor killed in crash questions why suspect was released

ROCHESTER HILLS, Mich. (FOX 2) - A well-known Detroit-area pastor has died after police say he was struck by a car driven by an undocumented immigrant. Now his family is wondering why that driver was let go as they grieve. 

The word "Heartbreak" does not even begin to describe what Teri Singleton had been feeling in the days since losing her husband, 72-year-old Stephen Singleton.

"I had to sit and watch my husband of 53 years die in front of me and then to know that the person who did this is walking around is very difficult to deal with," said Teri Singleton.

He was a well-known area pastor, who would do anything for anyone. Police say he was struck by an undocumented immigrant as he crossed the street in Rochester Hills earlier in November. Singleton died several days later.

"He had almost every bone in his body broken," said Singleton. "He had his collarbone fractured, internal organ damage, and his skull was cracked. He had two craniotomies in the hospital."

Family members say Pastor Singleton was a dedicated servant of god and a former medic who traveled to New York City to help injured victims of the 9/11 attacks. He gathered at a church there with other religious leaders to pray and spoke about it with FOX 2's Amy Lange in September 2023.

"After everybody had prayed, he started saying the Lord’s Prayer, and he said it with a whisper, he said it with a shout, he said it with a sing, and then he said it with so much passion that it brought me to tears," Stephen Singleton said. "I wanted to save somebody. That’s-bottomline."

He also helped in the search for survivors. It would be local medics who would desperately try to save Singleton’s life after he was hit by a man driving a 2013 Ford Focus as he crossed Rochester Road at Avon. He had just gone for his usual morning walk.

"He’s been coming back within, I’ll say, 45 minutes at the most. He didn’t return. I was sitting there waiting," said Teri Singleton. "I was actually less than a block away from where it happened."

Detectives say that the driver was a citizen of Columbia. US Customs and Border Protection determined he entered the US illegally and was released pending a future date in federal court. That’s the most painful part for the pastor’s family.

"He’s dead and they’re walking around. That’s bothering me," Teri said. 

For now, they continue their quest for justice…while staying in faith and love.

"I will not be angry because this has happened," said Stephen's daughter Ruth. "I refuse to be angry. I will still love like my Dad taught me to."

They have also put together a Go-Fund-Me page, hoping to give Pastor Singleton the dignified send-off he deserves.

"He was a loving person who cared about everybody," said Teri Singleton. "I mean, the whole neighborhood, everybody in our community has come to my door. They didn’t even see the name on the report, but they knew him because of his habits."

FOX 2 has reached out to government sources to see exactly why the suspect was released and when the next court date will be. Police say Singleton was wearing a reflective vest and was walking in a properly marked cross-walk when he was hit. 

Police believe speed or alcohol were factors in the crash.