A teenage boy has been charged as a juvenile in connection with a violent late April crash.
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The teenager is being charged with aggravated assault related to the Saturday, April 30 crash between a blue BMW and a gray Nissan minivan at the corner of Jefferson Avenue and Garden Street in Bristol Borough, Bucks County District Attorney’s Office spokesperson Manuel Gamiz Jr. said. The office declined to release the sex of the teenager, what town they are from, or additional details on the incident.
Sources with knowledge of the investigation told this news organization the boy is 17 years old and a male. He is alleged to have been behind the wheel of the BMW that struck the minivan at the intersection.
The violent wreck sent several people from the minivan to regional hospitals with serious injuries. They are all expected to recover, the source said.
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GoFundMe pages for the crash victims said the injured ranged in age from 3 to 18.
What exactly led up to the crash has not been officially released. Some bystanders told LevittownNow.com there was a police chase, while others said they didn’t witness a police chase.
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Pennsylvania State Police said in a statement obtained by LevittownNow.com that they were chasing a 2020 BMW M5, which looks to be the same model as the vehicle involved in the Bristol Borough wreck, in Bristol Township shortly before the borough crash. The BMW was wanted for “numerous traffic violations” and was to blame for a hit-and-run crash at the I-95 off ramp to Veterans Highway (Route 413).
Troopers said state police lost sight of the BMW and Bristol Borough police picked up following the car.
The statement from troopers said the BMW later crashed into another vehicle, but it does not state if borough officers were chasing it at the time of the crash.
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A police source said it was their understanding borough officers were not chasing the BMW at the time of the crash, but they had been aware the vehicle was previously being pursued by state police.
The district attorney’s office has not commented on that aspect of the incident. Bristol Borough police have directed all requests for comment to the district attorney’s office because they are handling the investigation.
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Bystanders have said they witnessed several young people being detained by police following the crash. It wasn’t clear why or whether more people will be charged.
In the past, law enforcement have released more details in cases where juveniles were charged, but they were being extraordinarily tight lipped in this case. Of note, state law does make the juvenile justice system less open than the system for adults.
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Reporter Maxwell Reil contributed to this story.
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