A ‘hit-and-run’ driver slammed into another vehicle on the roads of Pennsylvania at full speed leaving a married couple dead and two others injured.
The Bucks County car crash took place at the intersection of Veterans Highway and Ford Road in Bristol Township, Pennsylvania, around 1:30 pm on Saturday.
Surveillance video shows the gut-wrenching moment the black Ford Explorer zoomed down the road before pummeling into a car at the intersection.
The vehicle that was slammed into was a red Nissan Sentra carrying four passengers.
Two of the passengers were married couple Richard and Rebecca Whiddon from Brooklyn, Connecticut, who sadly died in the fatal crash.
A ‘hit-and-run’ driver slammed into another vehicle on the roads of Pennsylvania at full speed leaving a married couple dead and two others injured
Two of the passengers were married couple Richard and Rebecca Whiddon from Brooklyn, Connecticut, who sadly died in the fatal crash
The pair, who got married in 2017, were in the area visiting a friend, according to police
The driver allegedly responsible for the fatal crash has been identified as 31-year-old John Wadlinger of Croydon
The pair, who got married in 2017, were in the area visiting a friend, according to police.
First responders to the crash found the Whiddon couple deceased upon arrival.
Amazingly, the driver of the Nissan walked away without any injuries while the third passenger remains hospitalized in critical condition.
The driver allegedly responsible for the fatal crash has been identified as 31-year-old John Wadlinger of Croydon.
Wadlinger has an extensive criminal history – including multiple traffic offenses, and he is being held on a detainer linked to a post conviction.
He was seen exiting the vehicle and fleeing the area on foot following the deadly collision, authorities said.
The suspect didn’t get far before being tracked down and taken into custody, Bristol Township Police Lieutenant Sean Cosgrove said.
‘He stole a tri-axle dump truck that was parked in a nearby industrial area,’ Cosgrove said.
‘He drove that a short distance before losing control of it and overturning it, fleeing on foot again before being taken into custody.’
The Bucks County car crash took place at the intersection of Veterans Highway and Ford Road in Bristol Township, Pennsylvania, around 1:30 pm on Saturday
First responders to the crash found the Whiddon couple deceased upon arrival
A business owner from nearby the crash site described the collision as the ‘loudest’ they have ever heard and the ‘worst’ they’ve ever witnessed.
‘It was probably the loudest accident I’ve heard at this intersection in 25-plus years which, there’s been some pretty decent accidents but unfortunately, I think this one is probably the worst I’ve personally witnessed,’ the owner of Beach’s Hardware told Action News.
Police admitted that this crash was particularly difficult to investigate.
‘This is a tough one,’ Cosgrove noted. ‘You don’t see things like that a lot. A married couple who comes to visit this area is killed tragically. No, this is not something I’ve dealt with a lot, something this bad.’
Charges against Wadlinger are still pending.
