BERKS COUNTY, Pa. (WHP) — A New York man has been charged with DUI following a crash that killed two firefighters on Saturday evening.
Authorities said Alexander Sepulveda-Rivera, 26, of the Bronx, was driving the vehicle that collided head-on with the Walnuttown Fire and Rescue Fire Chief Jeff Buck and Assistant Fire Chief Robert Shick around 6 p.m. on Route 222. The firefighters were returning from a search operation for a missing woman.
Witnesses reported that after the impact, two individuals exited the vehicle and fled the scene. Officers apprehended both, confirming Sepulveda-Rivera as the driver. He allegedly told police he fell asleep while driving and admitted to using marijuana earlier that day. A crack pipe and suspected marijuana were found in his vehicle.
Sepulveda-Rivera did not have a valid driver's license and was already under an existing warrant for his arrest. Following the incident, he was taken to the hospital for a legal blood test before being processed at Berks County Central Processing.
Septulveda-Rivera faces 21 charges, including two counts of homicide by vehicle while DUI, two counts of homicide by vehicle, and DUI. Autopsies for Buck and Shick have been scheduled for Monday, according to the coroner's office.