A Bethlehem man has been charged in a crash that killed the passenger in his vehicle Sunday night, according to authorities.
Matthew Torres, 25, was driving under the influence when he caused the crash in the 1600 block of Stefko Boulevard, Northampton County District Attorney Stephen Baratta said in a news release Wednesday.
Leanna Farraj, 24, of Brooklyn, died in the crash.
Investigators said they determined Torres was driving the car while under the influence of drugs, alcohol or a combination of both. He admitted to police that he smoked marijuana and drank alcohol at Musikfest in Bethlehem before the crash, police said.
Police spoke to witnesses and reviewed nearby surveillance footage, and found that Torres was driving recklessly by speeding in between vehicles in the northbound lane of Stefko Boulevard, court documents state. He failed to navigate a bend, and crashed into a utility pole, police said.
Torres, who has not been arraigned as of Wednesday morning, faces charges of homicide by vehicle and homicide by vehicle while DUI, which are felonies, as well as misdemeanor offenses of involuntary manslaughter, recklessly endangering another person, DUI and summary traffic offenses. City police filed charges Wednesday.
Officers were called to the single-vehicle crash about 6:30 p.m. Sunday. Torres was in the driver’s seat and Farraj was in the passenger seat, according to the DA’s office. Bystanders tried rendering first aid to her, but she was pronounced dead at the scene.
Farraj died from multiple blunt-force injuries from the crash, with the manner accidental, according to the Northampton County Coroner’s Office.
Torres was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment of his injuries, which were described as not life-threatening.
