Two teenagers were killed, and three other people were seriously injured, on Monday night after a speeding vehicle ran a stop sign and triggered a violent multi-vehicle crash in Philadelphia’s Germantown section, police said.
The collision occurred around 8 p.m. along the 2000 block of West Godfrey Avenue near North 20th Street. According to Philadelphia police, a Nissan traveling westbound on Godfrey Avenue failed to stop at the intersection and struck a Honda driven by a 72-year-old woman before continuing down the street and crashing into a parked box truck.
Chief Inspector Scott Small said investigators believe the Nissan’s failure to stop at the intersection set off the chain-reaction crash. “The Nissan failed to stop for a stop sign,” Small said.
The impact of the collision was severe enough to eject several occupants from the Nissan onto the roadway. When officers arrived at the scene, they found victims scattered along the street. “There were three victims laying on Godfrey,” said Small.
Police said a 17-year-old passenger was pronounced dead at the scene. A 19-year-old victim was transported to Einstein Medical Center but later died from injuries sustained in the crash. Two additional occupants of the Nissan — including a 16-year-old passenger and the driver — were taken to the hospital in critical condition.
The driver of the Honda that was struck during the crash was also injured. The 72-year-old woman was transported to Temple University Hospital and was listed in stable condition, police said.
While processing the crash scene, investigators discovered pieces of a firearm that appeared to have come from inside the Nissan involved in the crash. “We did find a gun, a semiautomatic gun, that’s broken into several pieces on the scene and we did find several live rounds,” Small said. “We believe that gun was in the Nissan.”
Police said the vehicle involved in the crash had not been reported stolen.
Investigators are now working to reconstruct the moments leading up to the crash. Authorities said the area where the collision occurred has multiple surveillance systems that may provide additional insight into the vehicle’s speed and movements prior to the crash.
“Fortunately, not only do we have real-time crime police cameras about a block away, there’s numerous private surveillance cameras along the 1900–2000 blocks of Godfrey,” Small said. “So investigators are knocking on doors, and hopefully those cameras recorded something that they can help us with this fatal auto accident investigation.”
Detectives with the Philadelphia Police Department’s Crash Investigation Division are reviewing surveillance footage and other evidence as the investigation into the fatal crash continues.
