PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Three people, including two Pennsylvania State troopers, were killed on I-95 in South Philadelphia early Monday morning.
Around 12:45 a.m., investigators say Pennsylvania State Police responded to a report that a man was walking along the left lane of the highway, near the South Philadelphia Sports Complex.
Two state troopers got to the southbound lanes and pulled over, leaving their lights flashing. State police Capt. James Kemm said the troopers, identified as 33-year-old Martin Mack III and 29-year-old Branden Sisca, were taking the man back to their car, when "a vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed ... between the Jersey barrier and the left lane itself ... struck all three individuals." The car then hit the barrier and ended up on the other shoulder.
They were pronounced dead on the scene.
Mack is a 2006 graduate of Monsignor Bonner High School. He had been with Troop K since November 2014, and Sisca since February of last year.
Sisca, a graduate of Perkiomen Valley High School, was also the chief of the Trappe Fire Company, a volunteer fire department in Montgomery County. He was promoted to chief in January.
Sisca is also the son of Deputy Craig Sisca, a 10-year veteran of the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the Sisca family," said Montco Sheriff Sean Kilkenny in an official release Monday. Sisca made the ultimate sacrifice for the commonwealth, he said.
Investigators say the driver who hit them stopped and waited as Philadelphia and state police responded. No charges have been filed yet, but Kemm says the investigation is DUI related.
The victims were taken away in a procession early Monday morning. Authorities have not yet released the name of the other man who died.
I-95 was closed in both directions between Broad Street and the Walt Whitman Bridge for roughly eight hours but finally reopened shortly after 9 a.m.
“They braved traffic along the busy interstate to assist a citizen whose own life was in danger as he attempted to walk along the interstate roadway at night,” said State Police Commissioner Col. Robert Evanchick. “There’s no greater act of selflessness.”
Gov. Tom Wolf attended a press conference Monday morning, adding, “It’s a reminder for the state troopers what a heroic thing they do for us each and every day. They lay their lives on the line for us, every day.”
Numerous groups have begun scams involving fake fundraising efforts for the state troopers, the Pennsylvania State Troopers Association said Tuesday.
The PTSA said the Troopers Helping Troopers Foundation gives financial help to families when a trooper is killed in the line of duty.
"Our members and others are reporting to us that they’re receiving phone calls from people alleging to represent law enforcement organizations that are raising money to benefit the families of our fallen brothers,” said PSTA President David Kennedy in a statement.
“The public should not make donations or provide personal information to these callers. The PSTA is the only official organization that represents and serves Pennsylvania state troopers, and we do not use telephone solicitation for fundraising.”