Altoona man charged with driving under the influence, vehicular homicide after crash kills student

ALTOONA, Pa. – A 19-year-old Altoona man has been charged with vehicular homicide and drunken driving after a weekend accident that killed an Altoona Area High School student, police report.

According to charging documents, Jared Detwiler was driving a Dodge Ram truck with the 17-year-old victim and another teenager early Sunday morning.

Police report that Detwiler was under the influence of alcohol when he drove west on the 900 block of 10th Ave Expressway shortly after 4 a.m. He is said to have crossed into the lane of oncoming traffic, struck a bush, a tree and a pole and then collided with four parked vehicles in the Green Ave parking lot. Towers.

The victim, who had been sitting in the passenger seat, was thrown from the vehicle and killed, police said. Detwiler was also thrown from the vehicle and landed in the grass about a car length away, the criminal complaint states.

The other teenager, who was sitting in the back seat of the truck, was able to climb out of the vehicle unharmed, according to police.

Officials report that Detwiler, who allegedly consented to a blood draw at UPMC Altoona, had a BAC of 0.218, which is above the legal limit.

According to the criminal complaint, the first officer on the scene approached Detwiler, who was allegedly caught on the officer's body camera slurring his speech and saying that “someone cut me off.”

According to the criminal complaint, Detwiler told officers he swerved to avoid another vehicle. However, officers report that they have security footage from Green Ave. Towers checked and found that no vehicle swerved in front of the suspect.

Detwiler was transported to UPMC Altoona. Officers report he had swelling to his right eye, a broken right foot and a fractured vertebra. According to charging documents, less than an hour after the accident, his blood was drawn to test for alcohol.

A 16-year-old witness who told officers she knew Detwiler from previous parties at a house called SIGMA reported that she gave him the keys to the truck that evening, the criminal complaint states. Detwiler and the two victims were leaving another house party before the accident.

Detwiler was charged with vehicular homicide, vehicular homicide while under the influence of alcohol and aggravated assault with a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol, all second-degree felonies. He is also charged with two counts of drunk driving and intentionally endangering another person, as well as purchasing alcoholic beverages through a minor traffic and speeding violation. A preliminary hearing has not yet been scheduled.