PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A Montgomery County teen is charged in a deadly crash that, authorities say, was caused by alcohol.
According to investigators, Alexander Koenigsberg, 18, was traveling at 62 miles per hour in a 25 mph zone on Greenwood Avenue in Cheltenham at around 1:30 a.m. on January 23.
Related podcast: KYW Suburban Bureau Chief Jim Melwert reports.
His blood-alcohol content was above the legal limit according to authorities, and investigators said he was under the influence of marijuana.
The single-car crash killed Nicholas Bednarek, 20.
Koenigsberg and three others in the car were injured, including a 17-year-old who wasn’t wearing a seatbelt and went through the windshield.
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According to the criminal complaint, Koenigsberg and others in the car had been at a birthday party at a bowling alley. The complaint says that while alcohol wasn’t served at that party, a friend told police he saw Koenigsberg drinking in his car, and even took his keys after seeing him drive erratically.
Others in the car said they were yelling at Koenigsberg to slow down.
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The complaint also said that 10 days before the crash, Koenigsberg got a speeding ticket in New York for going 107 mph in a 65 mph zone. About a month before the crash, he posted a video on Instagram of a speedometer that read 100 mph.
Koenigsberg, who is from Huntingdon Valley, is charged with homicide by vehicle DUI and aggravated assault. If convicted, homicide by vehicle DUI carries a three-year mandatory minimum sentence.
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