TOWSON, Md — Baltimore County Police have made an arrest in the hit and run death of college professor Tom Gluick. Charging documents detail the measures the alleged driver, 34-year-old John Hurley Marking Jr. of Marriottsville, went through after the crash to get rid of evidence.
Gluick was on his way home to Atlanta from visiting family in New York when he stopped for Chinese food and was hit crossing the street near Towson Town Center at 7:30 p.m. on New Year's Eve. He died two weeks later from complications from the severe injuries he sustained.
Charging documents describe what surveillance video shows happened that night: Gluick was in the crosswalk on the pedestrian signal when a driver, later identified as Marking, in a pickup truck, hit him while making an illegal left turn after swerving between lanes. Soon after the crash, Baltimore County Police identified a vehicle of interest using License Plate Reader data. Detectives learned the registration for that Dodge Ram was canceled and the plates were returned to the MVA six days after the crash. The registered owner was found to be Marking and his cell phone number was identified. Historical data for Marking's phone was obtained by court order and showed the phone was in the area during the crash and shortly after the crash, he made three calls to his wife.
Detectives then learned that Marking bought a new car from CarMax four days after the crash. CarMax shared with detectives that Marking traded in the Dodge Ram believed to be involved in the crash to purchase the new vehicle. Charging documents say that CarMax then sold the truck to PM Autogroup, who sent it to Manassas Park, Virginia for repairs. Detectives got a search warrant and Masassas Police seized the truck and it was transported up to Towson on January 23. The truck damage, which charging documents said was consistent with hitting a pedestrian, was documented during a search warrant execution. Luminal was used and found blood on the driver's side bumper. The debris collected from the crash scene was compared to the truck and detectives write that it matched the Dodge Ram.
On January 28, detectives went to Marking's home and he confirmed he sold his Dodge Ram to CarMax and denied he was in Baltimore County the night of the crash. He provided his cell phone number which was a match to the one detectives had been tracking. The next day, detectives write that cell phone data showed Marking in Laurel near the CarMax where his Dodge Ram was transferred to after he traded it in. Then, police said the defendant turned off his cell phone.
A warrant was issued on February 3 and he was arrested and charged with negligent manslaughter, failure to stop at the scene of an accident, failure to return and remain on scene and failure to render assistance to an injured person. He faces 13 years behind bars. He was released on a $20,000 unsecured bond late Wednesday night.
Gluick was an assistant professor at Georgia Gwinnett College. Before that, he worked at UMBC and was a research scientist at Johns Hopkins. He lived in Baltimore for eight years before moving to D.C. and then Atlanta.
He suffered from eight broken ribs, multiple facial fractures and a broken arm and leg from the crash and went through several major surgeries but was making good progress.
“We had real high hopes that he was going to make it,” said hi sister Caryn Gluick.
His ex-wife Sheila Garrity said after two weeks of making great recovery, he died suddenly from a blood clot while at Shock Trauma.
“To go from the joy of knowing that he was going to be okay to where I am today, knowing that I'm never going to see him again, is really hard to wrap my head around,” said Garrity.
“There's no words to describe it,” said Gluick. “He was the rock and now that rock is not here anymore and it’s something that will be a hole forever."
MORE: $20,000 reward for information in deadly Towson hit and run on New Year's Eve
Garrity remembers his love of cooking and ability to turn people’s names into a fun song. His ability to make others feel loved and important. The family put together a $20,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest and conviction.
“The family of Tom Gluick is grateful to Officer Weber and the Baltimore County Police Crash Team who conducted an incredibly thorough investigation which led to the arrest of John Marking. We are also grateful to the Baltimore community for the tremendous outpouring of support. We are outraged that given the measures by the suspect to cover up his crime and his prior DUI history that he was not kept in custody. We ask that you respect our privacy during this difficult time.“
