A Lehigh Valley truck driver who prosecutors say was driving under the influence of prescription drugs when he caused a pileup that killed two people in central Pennsylvania last year has been charged with third-degree murder.
Stephen Michael Kravitz Jr., 53, of Emmaus was arraigned in York County this week on 43 charges in the 13-vehicle crash that killed a married couple and injured four other people, court records show.
Barry Hirneisen, 77, died in the April 16, 2024, pileup on Route 30 in West Manchester Township. His spouse, James Lawyer, 52, died later at a hospital.
An arrest affidavit filed by West Manchester police describes the scene of the crash as “chaotic.” It says Kravitz, who was driving a refrigerated box truck for Balford Farms, slammed into stopped traffic at a red light while traveling 63 mph in a 40-mph zone.
A witness told police he saw Kravitz’s head bobbing up and down like he was “on something” and appeared to be asleep, the affidavit said. Other witnesses said the defendant’s truck was speeding and swerving and the brake lights never came on as it slammed into the stopped traffic. Video obtained from a number of businesses corroborated witness accounts, police said.
According to the affidavit, lab results showed Kravitz was under the influence of several prescription drugs that can impair driving ability and did not have prescriptions for any of them.
In an interview after the crash, Kravitz allegedly said he thought he was driving about 25 mph, had a green light and did not see any traffic stopped in front of him.
At a news conference Thursday, York County’s first assistant district attorney, Tim Barker, noted that murder charges are rare in fatal DUI cases, Defendants are commonly charged with homicide by vehicle while DUI, a second-degree felony that carries a possible sentence of three to 10 years for each victim.
Kravitz, however, showed “recklessness to extreme indifference to the value of human life,” Barker said.
Kravitz was arrested Wednesday and denied bail.
In addition to two counts of third-degree murder, he faces include two counts of homicide by vehicle, two counts of homicide by vehicle while DUI, four counts of felony aggravated assault and four counts of aggravated assault by vehicle while DUI.
