Fountain Hill Man Dies Following Motorcycle Crash

Note: On Monday, Lehigh County Coroner Dan Buglio identified the Fountain Hill man who died following Friday’s accident on Susquehanna Street as Adam M. Reed. Buglio said Reed’s cause of death was multiple blunt force trauma. The crash that involved Reed’s motorcycle and another vehicle remains under investigation. Buglio also identified the woman who died early Saturday following an accident on S. Fourth Street as Angelica M. Rivera-Perez of Allentown. He said her cause of death was multiple blunt force trauma and ruled her death an accident. The coroner said her death also remains under investigation.

Authorities say two local residents’ deaths are being mourned following back-to-back fatal crashes in the South Allentown area Friday.

In the first crash, they said a 39-year-old Fountain Hill man died after a collision on E. Susquehanna Street in Salisbury Township.

Lehigh County Coroner Dan Buglio said the man, who wasn’t identified in a news release, was operating a motorcycle that was involved in a crash with another vehicle around 9:05 p.m. in the 1100 block of E. Susquehanna Street, near the Allentown city line.

Buglio’s news release said the man was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash. He was taken to the Emergency Department at St. Luke’s University Hospital-Bethlehem in Fountain Hill, where he was pronounced dead at 10:08 p.m.

An autopsy is planned for Monday to determine his cause of death. In addition to the coroner’s office, the Salisbury Township Police Department and the Lehigh County District Attorney’s Office are investigating the crash, with assistance from the Lehigh County Crash Team.

In a news release from the office of Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin Holihan Saturday, authorities provided additional information about the crash, in which they said the Fountain Hill motorcyclist was westbound when he was struck by an eastbound SUV that had been “closely following another vehicle.”

“The SUV crossed a double yellow line, passing the first vehicle on the left, and struck the motorcycle head on,” the office’s release said.

Holihan said the SUV’s driver was subsequently taken into custody and identified, with criminal charges now pending.

Buglio said the motorcyclist has been identified and that his next of kin have been notified of his death. “Out of respect for the family and to allow them time to notify additional family members and privately grieve this sudden and tragic loss, the decedent’s name will not be released today,” he said.

In the second fatal crash, Buglio said a 42-year-old woman from Allentown died following a collision in the 1600 block of S. Fourth Street in Allentown.

Buglio said that crash happened around 11:35 p.m. Friday and involved a motor scooter, which the woman was riding at the time.

Holihan’s office’s release said the police investigation of the crash indicates that the woman was southbound on S. Fourth Street and “had just proceeded through the intersection near Lexington Street with a group of two other motor scooter drivers” when an SUV that was traveling behind the group reportedly struck her from behind.

“The SUV driver then fled the scene,” the DA’s office said. Taken into custody a short distance away, the office said the driver of the SUV has been identified as 22-year-old Eliezer Julius Santiago of Allentown.

Holihan’s office said that “several witnesses told police that prior to the fatal crash, Santiago’s vehicle had been driving erratically,” and that “city and business cameras also captured the entire crash.”

Santiago is charged with felony Aggravated Assault by Vehicle while Driving Under the Influence and Accidents Involving Death or Injury While Not Licensed as well as DUI, Possession of a Small Amount of Marijuana and various other misdemeanors and summary offenses.

Buglio said the woman who was killed wasn’t wearing a helmet at the time of the crash, and that she was pronounced dead in the Emergency Department at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest in Salisbury Township at 3:01 a.m. Saturday.

The woman has been identified, but as with the other crash victim, Buglio said her name won’t be released until later in order to allow her family time to grieve privately.

The coroner’s office, the Allentown Police Department and the Lehigh County District Attorney’s Office are investigating the fatal crash involving the scooter and the SUV.

Buglio said an autopsy of the victim is scheduled for Monday, Sept. 14 at the Lehigh County Coroner’s Office & Forensic Center.

Holihan’s news release said that in both cases “there is no indication…the deceased victims were at fault.”

His office also said the close proximity of the crashes appears to be nothing more than a tragic coincidence.

Note: All individuals arrested or charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using information provided by the Lehigh County District Attorney’s office and other official sources.