NORRISTOWN, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — Two teens have been charged with homicide by vehicle for a deadly crash in Montgomery County last year, as authorities say speed was the primary cause of the crash.
According to the criminal complaint, on May 17, 2023, 19-year-old Aiden Jarrett from Quakertown was going 110 mph in a 55 mph zone on Bethlehem Pike in Hatfield, when his Mitsubishi Lancer slammed into the passenger side of a Nissan Frontier pickup truck at the intersection of Bergey Road.
The impact knocked the truck through the intersection and onto its side. Police found 62-year-old Ida Lillo and driver Louis Lillo III inside the vehicle. They were taken to a hospital, where Ida was pronounced dead. Louis was seriously injured.
Charging documents say Jarrett told the first police officer on scene that he was speeding at the time of the impact. When asked how fast he was going, the complaint says he responded with, “Uhh, pretty fast. Uhhh, a hundred.” No mechanical issues were discovered that could have led to the crash.
Through surveillance video and interviews from other drivers, police learned Jarrett was racing with another 19-year-old driver, Evan Buckman from Pennsburg, before the crash. Buckman’s Nissan 350Z was spotted nearby without any damage. Investigators determined Buckman had been traveling at 95 mph in the 55-mph zone.
Buckman and Jarrett are both charged with homicide by vehicle, aggravated assault by vehicle and related charges. As a condition of their $50,000 bail, both men are prohibited from driving. Their preliminary hearing is scheduled for March 20.