A Philadelphia rideshare driver has been charged in a fatal hit-and-run in East Norriton, Montgomery County, that killed a 29-year-old Delaware County man last month, county prosecutors announced.
Source: PhillyVoice
Andy Nunez Vasquez, 43, of Philadelphia, is accused of striking Ricardo Baptiste, 29, of Drexel Hill, as Baptiste crossed the street near Germantown Pike and Whitehall Road on September 6, according to police and prosecutors. As Baptiste lay in the roadway, a tractor-trailer then hit him a second time. Vasquez allegedly fled the scene without stopping to help or reporting the crash.
Source: NBC 10 Philadelphia via EIN Pennsylvania Newswire
East Norriton police arrived at about 9:10 p.m. and found Baptiste injured and unresponsive. He was taken to Jefferson Einstein Montgomery Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, PhillyVoice reported.
Vasquez faces a felony count of accidents involving death or personal injury, plus misdemeanour counts of failing to render aid and failing to report an accident to police, prosecutors say. The charges are allegations — he has not been convicted. One report said a conviction on the felony count carries a minimum term of three years and a $2,500 fine, and that a preliminary hearing is scheduled for November 2.
Investigators said surveillance video and licence-plate readers identified a white 2015 Hyundai Sonata allegedly belonging to Vasquez, and phone and rideshare records placed him at the scene at the time of the collision. Court records cited in reporting show Vasquez had previously pleaded guilty in 2023 to disobeying a traffic control device.
No charges relating to the tractor-trailer driver were reported in the coverage. Awaaz Punjab is not showing any image of the crash itself, out of respect for Baptiste and his family.