A social media personality connected to one of South Florida’s well-known charitable figures has been sentenced to 10 years in prison after a deadly confrontation that ended with his wealthy uncle pinned against a palm tree by a Jeep.
Jordan Aronson, 24, entered a guilty plea last month to manslaughter with a weapon over the 2023 death of his uncle, Scott Grebler, Court TV reports.
At the time of the fatal incident on June 13, 2023, Aronson was a college sophomore living with Grebler at the philanthropist’s $3 million Tampa home. Grebler, a founding member of the local nonprofit 13 Ugly Men, was struck when Aronson drove his Jeep Wrangler into him.
Prosecutors said surveillance video captured Aronson reversing out of the driveway before accelerating forward and “ramming [Grebler’s] body into the palm tree,” Assistant State Attorney Melissa Grajales stated during the July 13 plea hearing, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
Grebler, 59, was taken to Tampa General Hospital, where doctors treated severe skull and brain injuries and placed him on a ventilator, WTSP reported at the time.
The millionaire bachelor died at the hospital several days after the crash.
Aronson, who built an online following of more than 52,000 TikTok users and 23,000 Instagram followers by sharing baseball pitching tips, training videos and workout content, had originally pleaded not guilty to second-degree homicide charges.
He told investigators that Grebler had Parkinson’s disease and experienced delusions and hallucinations, claiming his uncle would sometimes misplace money or belongings and then believe someone had stolen them.
That is what happened the morning of the crash, Aronson asserted, as his lawyer claimed he ‘managed to keep his cool until he snapped.’
Jordan Aronson, 24, will spend 10 years behind bars and five years probation for the crash that took the life of his philanthropist uncle, Scott Grebler, 59
Aronson had been living with the millionaire at his Tampa mansion in the summer of 2023 when he rammed Grebler with his Jeep Wrangler
He claimed his uncle accused him of stealing money and became violent, allegedly stalking Aronson for hours and throwing rocks at the Jeep’s windshield even though no such theft had occurred.
Grebler was even caught on surveillance footage throwing a ceramic mug on the driveway, then placing the shattered pieces under the Jeep’s tires, according to court documents obtained by the Tampa Bay Times.
He then took his nephew’s bag out of the Jeep and followed Aronson ‘in an apparent attempt to engage in a physical altercation,’ the court documents allege.
After Aronson then got in the Jeep and backed out of the driveway, Grebler was seen on surveillance footage running toward the vehicle and throwing a three-ring binder at it in the moments before Aronson pulled forward.
The Jeep then briefly idled at the scene before it reversed down the road, a witness later told cops.
After he then left the scene moments later, Aronson called police, saying his uncle ‘tried to f***ing attack me when I was getting out of my car and I hit him with my car.’
Aronson initially pleaded not guilty to charges of second-degree murder
He pleaded guilty on July 13 to manslaughter with a weapon charges
But questions about Aronson’s story quickly drew suspicion – as some of his claims contradicted the video evidence.
Prosecutors noted that Aronson, who had just finished up his first year playing baseball at Lynn University, told officers he drove back into the driveway to straighten out his tires, which he said were turned on the parked vehicle.
However, the Jeep’s tires were ‘clearly not turned while parked,’ officers argued in a warrant to search the college student’s phone.
At that point, prosecutors filed second-degree charges against the TikTok star, and the case lingered in the Florida courts system for years until prosecutors agreed to a plea deal.
They considered the fact that Aronson called police shortly after the crash, and factored in his lack of a criminal history, his cooperation with police and the fact that he was staying with Grebler to ‘assist him through serious medical issues,’ said Erin Maloney, a spokeswoman for the Hillsborough State Attorney’s Office.
She also noted that the family did not want Aronson to face criminal charges in Grebler’s death.
‘While the wishes of a victim’s family are important to us, it is also our responsibility to make charging decisions based on the law and the evidence,’ Maloney asserted. ‘The defendant should still be held accountable for his actions.’
Aronson will now spend 10 years in prison with five years of probation.
As part of the plea deal, he also must perform 50 hours of community service and complete an anger management course.
Aronson has more than 52,000 followers on TikTok and 23,000 on Instagram , where he posts videos offering advice and workouts to baseball pitchers
As part of the plea deal, Aronson must now perform 50 hours of community service and complete an anger management course
Grebler’s friends had mixed views about the agreement.
‘He must have paid a hell of an attorney to get off the hook,’ Andrew Lehrer, a fellow member of 13 Ugly Men suggested to the Tampa Bay Times.
But others applauded prosecutors for resolving the case.
‘It’s a horrible case. It’s a tragic case,’ said Anthony Rickman, a friend and a criminal defense attorney who served on the board for the organization.
‘I think the State Attorney’s Office did an excellent job,’ he added.
Rickman had previously described Grebler as ‘like a brother’ to him.
‘He was a brother to everyone in our group. And everyone who knew him loved him,’ he told Fox 13 following Grebler’s untimely death.
‘We’ve lost a member of our community, I’ve lost a friend. It’s tough,’ he continued, adding that his friend’s ‘vision lives on, his memory will always live on and his footprint in the community will last forever.’
Grebler, who was born in Brooklyn and served in the military, was remembered as a philanthropist who dedicated his time to the organization 13 Ugly Men
Grebler, who was born in Brooklyn and served in the military, was remembered as a meticulously clean man and a sharp dresser who liked to serve his guests tea and enjoyed feeding the koi fish and turtles in the pond behind his house.
‘Things with Scott were always easy and relaxing,’ said James Loscano. ‘He lived a good life – no drugs, no alcohol.’
Grebler, who operated Massage Envy stores as a franchisee in south Florida, never had any children.
Instead, much of Grebler’s social life centered around the nonprofit, 13 Ugly Men, which he helped found along with other Tampa-area business owners.
Its mission is to ‘party with a purpose,’ organizing community events to raise money for children’s organizations and other causes.
‘He was always looking out for the best interest of the group and the charities,’ Lehrer recounted.
‘So basically he was Mr Philanthropist because he couldn’t spend the money himself.’
