It was nearly 2 a.m., but that didn’t stop 19-year-old Jacob Simmers from heading over to his friend Joseph Romano’s house in Bensalem after he received a distressing phone call from Benjamin Carter, another friend, saying that Romano was having a bad night and needed help.

When Simmers arrived, he met Carter outside who explained that Romano had suddenly turned aggressive and distraught.

Simmers went up and knocked on the door. When Romano answered, Simmers said, “Hey Joe, I hear you’re not having a good night. I’d like to help you. Can I come in to talk to you?”

Joe let Jake into the house.

Anyone who knew Simmers would tell you—he was always helping people. To his friends, he was the voice of reason, a calming force in their times of trouble. They would tell you hewas full of integrity, striving to do the right thing, no matter the consequence.

When Simmers helped someone, be it a friend or a stranger, it would often end in a smile or a hug, or maybe even a few laughs.

So in the early morning hours of March 30, Simmers did what he always did, he went to help a friend in need.

This time it cost him his life.

A Life Full of Love

Simmers’ girlfriend, Brittany Snyder, 19 of Bensalem, recalled a time when they were out and Simmers stopped to help a total stranger. She said he bought $20 worth of bread and other items to make sandwiches and gave it to a homeless man they had passed outside.

“Jake saw there were others, all spread out, and when he handed the man the food, he just asked that he share it with everyone else. The man was so happy and just kept hugging Jake over and over again,” Snyder said.

Kellie McCarthy, 18, of Bensalem, a friend of Simmers since the seventh grade, described how perceptive Simmers had been when she came to him with a problem. “He thought about your problems as if they were his own and would come up with meaningful answers,” said McCarthy.

“He was really funny, smart and sincere,” said Keri Barber, assistant professor of language and literature at Bucks. “He was good at seeing what was wrong with society and changing it.”

Rachel Citrino, Simmers’ grandmother whom he affectionately called “Nana,” described her grandson as an affectionate person with principles, someone who touched a lot of lives.

“He took things seriously and reacted in a thoughtful way. If there was a family crisis, he wanted to know how he could help,” said Citrino.

According to Citrino, he and his older sister, Erica Simmers, were very close and the best of friends.

“They went through a difficult time when their parents got divorced. But they got through it very well because they got through it together,” said Citrino.
Citrino added that his little sisters really looked up to their big brother and he loved them both so much. “He shared his birthday with his sister, Ella… [When Ella was born] I asked him how he felt. He said, “This is the best birthday present I could ever have.’”

To his friends and family, he was a source of constant joy. He had a smile on his face every day.

“He was so much like his Pop-Pop,” said Snyder. “He would handle things calmly. He was never bitter. He was never afraid to love.”

“He was also goofy,” said Snyder. “We would dance together in the supermarket. He would wear his heart on his sleeve.”

“Whenever you were near him, you wanted to be a better person,” said Carter.

Carter first met Simmers when they were in fourth grade. Simmers had just moved into Carter’s neighborhood, only three houses down from him. “We used to fight bees and play make-believe,” said Carter.

As Simmers got older, he discovered his love for cooking.

“He loved to cook because he loved to entertain his friends. He loved the way people would gather around a meal.” said Citrino. “He had this idea about combining cooking and therapy. He thought it would be great to have people talk about their problems while they cooked a meal together.”

Justin Ohman, 18, of Bensalem, explained how easy it was to talk to Simmers about anything. “He knew things about me that I wouldn’t have been able to tell a therapist.”

Besides coming up with ideas about combining therapy and cooking, Simmers had other dreams for his future and the life he planned to share with his girlfriend. “We wanted to live in Italy one day and self-sustain, grow our own food,” said Snyder.

A Final Act of Love

Romano had been struggling to pull himself together in the early morning hours of March 30, thanks to what friends say might have been a bad batch of mushrooms he had ingested. He had been at a friend’s party in Bensalem that night until Carter offered to drive him home.

Carter explained that Romano was not in his right mind, “When I was driving him home, Joe had jumped out of the car at 30 mph. When I pulled over he got back in like nothing had happened; it was as if he couldn’t feel anything.”

He also added, “Joe didn’t know where he was. He was hallucinating.”

When they got to Romano’s house, his parents weren’t home, so Carter planned to stay the night to make sure he was okay- But that’s when Romano’s behavior got worse.

“He became aggressive, screaming at me and eventually kicking me out of his house,” said Carter. “I wasn’t sure what to do at that point, so I called Jake.”

Once Simmers arrived at the house and went inside to talk to Romano, Carter remained outside, but tried to stay nearby. “I knew Joe had been aggressive towards me,
so I wanted to keep an ear out.”

“I’m sure Jake was just trying to help him figure out what was going on and calm him down.” said Carter.

But then, Carter said, he heard Romano yelling at Simmers to get out of his house. Carter ran into the house to find Romano over Simmers. “Jake was gasping for breath, but said, ‘Joe is killing me. Get him off of me.’”

Carter describes trying to save Simmers by going after Romano with a knife. “So I run up and right as I get up to him, Joe gets off of him. And that’s when I realized that Joe also had a knife in his hand. Joe wasn’t choking Jake, he had stabbed him.”

“I had the knife up to Joe’s chest. And Joe, at this point realizing what he did, is begging me to kill him. And that’s when Jake said, ‘Don’t kill him Ben, let him live.’”

This was Simmers final act of love. Down to his last moment, he remained true to form.

According to the Bensalem Police Department, at approximately 2:30 a.m. police were dispatched to Romano’s house for report of a stabbing. By the time police officers arrived, Simmers had died.

His Love Continues through His Memory

Friends and family are left with the many sweet memories of a young man who they believe left this world too soon. Thanks to all the lives he managed to touch throughout his 19 years, he will continue to live and love through those lucky enough to have known him.

“He’s going to be hard to let go,” said Citrino. “We’re trying not to hold onto him so tight that he can’t rest, but I don’t think he’ll ever go too far.”
Snyder said, “He taught me that once you realize someone is a good person, you should love them unconditionally, fearlessly.”