1 dead, 17 injured in crash at fundraiser for Pennsylvania fire victims

One person is dead and 17 others were injured after a car plowed into a crowd at a community event Saturday in Berwick, Pennsylvania, state police said.

Although police didn’t identify the event or the location of the crash, local media reported that it happened at a fundraiser for victims of a house fire that killed 10. The bar hosting the event, Intoxicology Department, posted a statement on Facebook saying that it would be closed until further notice: “Today was an absolute tragedy. Please respect our privacy while we grieve and try to process the events that occurred. Thank you.”

Police on Sunday identified the suspect as Adrian Oswaldo Sura Reyes, 24, and said he was arraigned on two counts of criminal homicide. He was denied bail and sent to the Columbia County Correctional Facility, police said.

We will do a thorough Investigation and bring Justice to all involved,” Pennsylvania State Trooper Anthony Petroski pledged on Twitter.

Responding to reports that a vehicle drove through a crowd, state troopers and local officers arrived at the scene about 6:15 p.m. on Saturday to find multiple people injured and one dead, Petroski told reporters at a news conference.

A short time later, state police received a call saying that a man was physically assaulting a woman in nearby Nescopeck, the small town where the house fire broke out Aug. 5, killing seven adults and three children. Upon arrival at that scene, police placed a man in custody who they said was the suspect in both incidents on Saturday.

The woman was dead, Petroski said.

Police did not identify the victims.

Geisinger Medical Center had treated 15 patients across several of its locations, spokesman Matt Mattei said early Sunday. Eight remained hospitalized at the Danville facility, with five in critical condition and three in fair condition. Four others had been treated and released. Three patients were treated and released from other hospitals.

Photos of the aftermath at the bar showed personal items strewn on the ground near tents and tables that had been set up for the day’s festivities.

Workers for radio station 98.5 KRZ were at the event. On Saturday night, the station tweeted that “tragedy” had struck.

“Details are still sketchy but there are victims, [including] children. Pray for our neighbors!” the station wrote on Twitter.

Reporters recorded video of a handcuffed Reyes being escorted by law enforcement officers. Asked whether he had anything to say, he offered only: “Sorry, I’m sorry.”