Ross DiMattei comes to Philadelphia from KTNV-TV in Las Vegas, where he anchored and reported for more than two years. He is most proud of his interview with then-presidential candidate Joe Biden, extensive reporting on Las Vegas' economic recovery from COVID-19, and breaking news coverage of George Floyd protests in Las Vegas, for which he won a regional Emmy Award.
The man accused of crashing into two fire chiefs on a Pennsylvania highway over the weekend was seen swerving before the crash occurred, and may have been under the influence of controlled substances, authorities said Tuesday.
Alexander Sepulveda-Rivera, 26, is in custody after he was unable to post $500,000 bail on several charges connected to the crash, Berks County District Attorney John Adams said in a news conference on Tuesday.
Adams said the Reading man was behind the wheel of a car that did not belong to him when he got into the crash on Route 222 on the evening of Saturday, April 4.
"He was weaving back and forth on the roadway, and we have a number of witnesses who watched this vehicle, it was weaving. And we've also located some dashcam video of this area at the time of the accident from other vehicles," Adams said.
Sepulveda-Rivera allegedly hit Fire Chief Jeff Buck and Assistant Fire Chief Robert Shick while they were in a utility vehicle facing northbound on the southbound shoulder of the highway. The fire officials, out conducting a missing persons search, were struck head-on.
Sepulveda-Rivera did not stay at the scene of the crash, Adams said. The driver and a passenger were later found nearby after somebody spotted them and called 911, and were then located by police officers.
Sepulveda-Rivera told officers he fell asleep and admitted to having smoked marijuana earlier that day. He also admitted that a crack pipe found in the vehicle was his, Adams said.
Officers suspected the driver to be under the influence and incapable of driving safely.
"He was driving in a reckless manner and in a manner where he should not have been behind the wheel," Adams said, later adding that Sepulveda-Rivera had "no respect for the law."
A toxicology blood test was administered, and now Adams' office is waiting on more information.
"By the way, the driver, the defendant, did not have a driver's license," Adams added. "And I believe he never had a driver's license, but we are looking into that."
Sepulveda-Rivera is charged with several offenses, including two counts of homicide by vehicle, DUI, driving without a license, involuntary manslaughter and failing to notify law enforcement of an accident.
Investigators have not yet spoken to the owner of the vehicle, according to Adams. Sepulveda-Rivera admitted to officers at the scene that he was driving, but police are still working to learn if he had permission from the vehicle owner to do so.
Meanwhile, the Walnuttown Fire Company prepares to bury two of their own.
"Chief Buck and Assistant Chief Shick were two of the greatest mentors of this department," Lt. Ryan Tyson said.
"As we're working through this time, our main focus is on our two past chiefs and their families, along with our family here as a whole. But in a short time, we will be back answering calls, responding to any needs in the township ... the same efforts that we were taught from our two chiefs," Tyson said. "Once we grieve, we lay our two chiefs to rest, we'll be back to responding to calls as we normally would on any given day."
Children of the fallen fire chiefs say they'll work to carry on their fathers' legacies. In the firehouse behind Adams and Tyson, you could see locker stalls belonging to Buck and Shick.
"Our communities in Pennsylvania rely on volunteers to fight fires, respond to accidents, search for people who are lost, and losing their life in the line of duty is not what they or their families bargain for," Adams said.