Levittown man charged in deadly Port Richmond hit-and-run crash
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A 19-year-old Levittown man has been charged after allegedly hitting and killing a pedestrian while street racing in Port Richmond Tuesday.
Joseph Vannauker was arrested after being pulled over by police in Pennsauken, New Jersey.
A little after 12 a.m., Philadelphia police on patrol in Port Richmond saw two Dodge Chargers street racing down near the intersection of Castor and Aramingo Avenues. One Charger was dark blue and another was white.
Officers said they saw the blue Dodge hit a pedestrian crossing Castor Avenue. He was hit so hard that he was launched out of both his sneakers and pronounced dead on the scene at 12:25 a.m.
After the crash, police said both Chargers immediately took off and headed east on Castor Avenue.
The Philadelphia officers tried to follow them but lost them as they headed north on I-95.
Meanwhile, investigators on the scene found pieces of the blue Charger including a side mirror.
"It has front-end damage, it was missing one of the side mirrors ... that was part of the description that we were broadcasting," Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small said. "And there were two occupants, a 19-year-old driver and a passenger in that vehicle."
A short time later, Pennsauken police pulled over and arrested the driver of the blue Charger, who has since been identified as Vannauker.
"Pennsauken got some of that information and they did a great job stopping that vehicle, only about a 10-minute drive from this particular location," Small said. "At this time, we believe that the Dodge Charger that was stopped in Pennsauken, New Jersey, is the striking vehicle that struck this pedestrian at Castor and Aramingo."
Vannauker has been charged with homicide by vehicle, murder and reckless driving, according to police.
Carmen Laboy, who works with people who are unhoused along Aramingo Avenue, and a second woman, who asked not to be named, identified the victim as "Gabe."
Both women said he was a sweet man who took the time to help women and children safely cross the street.
"He would just guide them like he was a crossing guard. That's the heart that Gabe had. Gabe was -- this guy was humble as can be. Very humble," Laboy said. "He didn't deserve to die the way he died. Not that way. No, not Gabe."
While Ed Rouda didn't know Gabe, he said it's known that the intersection of Aramingo and Castor Avenues can be dangerous, and he suggested that the city invest in speed bumps.
"It's crazy. The people that think it's Indianapolis Motor Speedway," Rouda said. "It's horrible. An innocent person lost their life."
Laboy emphasized that although Gabe was unhoused, he was still a person.
"Even though they see a person the way Gabe is, give them a hand," Laboy said.