Suspect arraigned in Philly crash that killed 3 Clarks Summit natives

Borys Krawczeniuk, The Times-Tribune, Scranton, Pa.
Updated ·2 min read

Apr. 18—The man accused of killing three Clarks Summit natives and their ride-hailing service driver in a Philadelphia car crash Saturday faces a preliminary hearing in about two weeks.

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Michael Burke Comerford Obituary

Victor A. Spizzirri, 31, of West Chester, was arraigned early Tuesday by a Philadelphia Municipal Court judge, who set bail at $1 million with his release possible if he posted 10%, or $100,000. It is unclear if he posted bail.

Spizzirri is charged with four counts each of homicide by vehicle, homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence, involuntary manslaughter and recklessly endangering another person. He is also charged with driving under the influence of alcohol or a controlled substance and four traffic citations — reckless driving, careless driving, disregarding traffic lanes and failing to drive at a safe speed.

His preliminary hearing is 9 a.m. May 2 in Philadelphia.

The crash killed twins Tucker and Christian Schimelfenig, 23, and Michael Comerford, 24, all former Clarks Summit residents who went to college and worked in the Philadelphia area, and ride-hailing service driver Jan Carlo Santana, 31, of Philadelphia. Police initially reported his name as Jean Santana.

Spizzirri's vehicle struck Santana's from behind on the Schuylkill Expressway. Santana's vehicle ricocheted into a bridge pillar, Spizzirri's vehicle spun and rolled over several times before coming to rest on the right shoulder of the westbound exit to Route 1, Roosevelt Boulevard.

Spizzirri survived and was treated at Temple University Hospital for moderate injuries. The others were pronounced dead at the scene.

Friends of Tucker Schimelfenig started a GoFundMe for the families of the three accident victims. In a message posted on the GoFundMe page, Xavier Pomrink, a classmate of Schimelfenig's at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, said he and a friend, Amar Chinni, started the page and the money will go where the families desire. As of Tuesday night, they had raised nearly $45,000.

"We understand that this will never truly fill the void left by the infectious smiles of Tucker, Christian, and Michael, but we hope that it will show the families that there is a vast support system available to them in their time of need. Anything helps while we mourn the loss of our friends and family in this time of vulnerability and tragedy," the page says.

Contact the writer:

bkrawczeniuk@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9147;

@BorysBlogTT on Twitter.