Quakertown man admits manslaughter in racing accident that also killed Hatfield woman

NORRISTOWN – A 20-year-old Bucks County man admitted he was speeding and racing another vehicle driven by a Montgomery County man at speeds between 95 and 110 miles per hour when he caused a two-vehicle crash in Hatfield Township that killed a Hatfield woman who was riding in another vehicle.

Aidan Thomas Jarrett, of the 300 block of Erie Avenue in Quakertown, pleaded guilty Thursday in Montgomery District Court to charges of manslaughter with a vehicle and aggravated assault with a vehicle, as well as racing on the highway and speeding in connection with the May 17, 2023, 8:41 p.m. crash on Bethlehem Pike (also known as Route 309) and Bergey Road in Hatfield Township that left 62-year-old Ida Lillo of Hatfield dead. She was a passenger in a vehicle driven by her husband, Louis Lillo III, who was also seriously injured in the crash.

The open plea means that Jarrett has no agreements with prosecutors regarding his possible sentence.

Jarrett, who was 18 at the time of the fatal crash, faces a maximum sentence of 7 to 14 years in prison on the charges, although state sentencing guidelines could allow for a lesser sentence.

Judge Wendy G. Rothstein postponed sentencing so court officials could complete a background investigation report on Jarrett.

Jarrett, who is represented by his defense attorney Gregory Francis Mitsch, showed no emotion in the courtroom and is free on bail pending sentencing.

Assistant District Attorney and Chief Trial Officer Thomas W. McGoldrick said he would seek prison time for Jarrett, explaining that sentencing guidelines call for prison time.

“In this case, not only was one person killed, but another was seriously injured, so there were two victims. From the Commonwealth's perspective, the conduct was egregious. Anyone who drives on Route 309 knows how busy that road is … and when you drive 110 miles per hour, you make that road extraordinarily dangerous,” McGoldrick said after the hearing.

Evan Robert Buckman, 20, of the 4000 block of East Campbell Road, Marlborough Township, the man who authorities say was racing Jarrett at the time of the crash, also faces charges of involuntary manslaughter, aggravated assault, reckless endangerment, illegal racing, speeding and reckless driving.

Buckman, who was 19 at the time of the accident, was also in court Thursday. Defense attorney Matthew Quigg told the judge that Buckman wanted a trial on the charges. Rothstein set a trial date for Buckman on Sept. 24.

In the indictment, investigators based their decision on the fact that Jarrett was speeding toward Buckman heading south on Bethlehem Pike when the front bumper of Jarrett's vehicle struck the passenger door of a car in which Lillo was a passenger.

The investigation began when Hatfield police responded to reports of a two-vehicle crash at the intersection of Bethlehem Pike and Bergey Road. The crash occurred between a red 2015 Mitsubishi Lancer, driven by Jarrett, and a silver 2015 Nissan Frontier, driven by Louis Lillo III, with Ida Lillo as a passenger, according to the criminal complaint filed by Hatfield Township Police Officer William J. Summerfield.

“As a result of this impact, the Mitsubishi sustained severe front-end damage and a fire broke out in the engine compartment. The Nissan sustained severe damage in the passenger door area and severe penetration of the passenger compartment. It then took off and spun before rolling through the intersection,” Summerfield claimed in the criminal complaint, explaining that the Lillo vehicle came to a stop on the driver's side at the southwest corner of the intersection with both occupants trapped inside.

The impact threw Ida Lillo from the passenger seat into the driver's seat of the Nissan and caused her to suffer “catastrophic injuries.” She was taken to Grand View Hospital's trauma center, where she succumbed to her injuries.

Louis Lillo, the driver of the Nissan, suffered serious injuries, including broken bones and cuts, police said.

A third vehicle, a yellow Nissan 350Z driven by Buckman, was also at the scene but was not damaged, police said.

At the scene, Jarrett allegedly told arriving officers that he was “driving too fast.” When asked to estimate his speed, Jarrett responded, “Uh, pretty fast” and “Uh, a hundred,” according to the criminal complaint.

Police secured video surveillance footage from two nearby businesses that recorded the accident.

Using witness statements and surveillance video, investigators determined that the vehicles driven by Jarrett and Buckman were speeding before the fatal crash. One witness, who was driving 55 mph, told police the red Mitsubishi “passed me like I was sitting still,” and another witness stated that when the Mitsubishi passed her, “her car was shaking,” according to witness statements and court documents.

Video surveillance footage showed that at about 8:39 p.m., the Lillos' vehicle was traveling north and turned left from Bethlehem Pike onto Bergey Road. Jarrett's Mitsubishi, traveling south, struck the Nissan with such force, slamming the passenger door into it, that the vehicle flipped onto its side and drove through the intersection.

Two seconds after the impact, Buckman's Nissan passed the accident scene, began braking, and then pulled into a nearby parking lot.

A post-crash inspection of Jarrett's Mitsubishi found no mechanical problems that could have contributed to the crash. Data from the Mitsubishi's airbag system showed that the Mitsubishi was traveling at 178 km/h in the 90 km/h zone 4.9 seconds before the crash. Even after Jarrett braked, his vehicle was traveling at 111 km/h at the time of impact with the Lillo vehicle, according to witness statements.

After analyzing video surveillance, crash investigators concluded that the yellow Nissan driven by Buckman was traveling about 95 miles per hour at one point during the racing crash, court documents show.

“The reconstruction of the accident revealed that the speed of the red Mitsubishi caused this accident,” Summerfield claimed, adding that the speed at which Jarrett was traveling was “not reasonable and prudent for the road” and that the car was driven with “complete reckless and wanton disregard for the safety of other persons or property.”

“Based on my investigation, I believe that both Mr. Jarrett and Mr. Buckman were traveling together to demonstrate the speed of their vehicles and to race them on a highway,” Summerfield claimed.