Night of partying preceded accident

Investigation aided by Snapchat video

Investigators are trying to determine what four young women were doing in the hours before three of them died and the fourth was critically injured early Tuesday in a possible alcohol-fueled crash in Bethel Park.

Atleast part of what happened is believed to have been captured in a Snapchat narrative created by one of the victims as they partied Monday night and into Tuesdaymorning.

“We believe that the video was made at some point preceding the crash,” Bethel Park police Chief Tim O’Connor said. “I’m not exactly sure of the time frame between the video being taken and the crash — that’s under investigation.”

Killed in the crash about 1 a.m. in the 5600 block of Library Road were Bianca Herwig, 23, of McDonald, Paige Smith, 21, of Bethel Park and Heather Camisa, 17, of Finleyville. Brooke Molnar, 21, of Sheraden was being treated at UPMC Mercy for a back injury and internal bleeding..

When police arrived at the scene, they found a Mitsubishi Outlander SUV entangled in power lines after it slammed into a utility pole. Ms. Herwig and Ms. Smith died at the scene. Ms. Camisa died later at a hospital. Investigators said both alcohol and speed were factors in the crash.

“I’ve been in law enforcement for many, many years, and I will count this as one of the more horrific incidents that I’ve responded to,” Chief O’Connor said.

Part of the women’s night was captured as Ms. Herwig used her cell phone on Snapchat, a video service in which the images disappear after 24 hours.

The video, which has been recorded and was posted on the internet, is more than eight minutes long. It shows Ms. Herwig, Ms. Smith and Ms. Molnar visiting bars, giggling as they ride in an SUV, and singing along with the radio.

Ms. Herwig is in the back seat, occasionally recording herself with her head out the window of the moving vehicle, her blond hair flying in the wind. Ms. Smith is shown driving.

The images show them at a bar with pitchers of blue drinks and plastic cups containing what appear to be shots of liquor.

There’s a selfie of the three taken in a bathroom mirror, a stop in a convenience store, and some flirting with other drivers.

There also is a bottle of alcohol that Ms. Smith and Ms. Herwig can be seen drinking from.

Ms. Camisa does not join them in the vehicle until the last moments of the recording, when she can be seen in the back seat with Ms. Herwig.

Ms. Camisa got off work at Dorido’s restaurant in South Park at 11 p.m. Monday before going out with the other women, said Bob Linn, the manager of the restaurant.

“She was hurrying to get out of here, put make up on,” he said.

Mr. Linn said Ms. Camisa had worked at Dorido’s for about three months and looked up to Ms. Smith, who worked at the restaurant for about a year before leaving two weeks ago.

“I did absolutely nothing today because I was sick to my stomach,” he said. “I knew both of these girls. I was old enough to be their father.”

Mr. Linn said Ms. Smith made bad choices Monday night, including the decision to drink and drive, and Ms. Camisa “was young, impressionable. That’s what we’re really sick about.”

Ms. Camisa was going to be a senior this fall at Ringgold High School.

The school district sent a letter to parents Monday, offering condolences to Ms. Camisa’s family and announcing that a counselor would be available Wednesday and Thursday at Ringgold Middle School in Finleyville.

Ms. Molnar’s sister, Brianne, said the night of partyingwent beyond anything she’d seen the women do before.

“Any time they would go out, they wouldn’t stay out too late and they would go back to someone’s house,” said Brianne Molnar. “Nothing crazy ever happened. But [Monday night], things went tothe left really quick.”

Asked about her sister’s condition, Brianne Molnar said, “She is fully awake but confused. She has no memory of Monday night.”

Brianne Molnar said she had watched the Snapchat video, saying again that what she had observed was out of characterfor the women.

“I’ve hung out with them before. We would go to South Side— Mario’s, Tad’s, Jack’s — and it was always a good time. Everyone enjoyed themselves,dancing.”

Brianne said her sister and Ms. Smith had been best friends since their days in elementary school in Bethel Park. They became friends with Ms. Herwig not so long ago.

“They didn’t go back way too far,” she said. “I think they just met on social media recently and they’ve been hanging out.”

Broc Manross, 27, of Mt. Lebanon, said he had met Ms. Herwig a few months ago and was following her on Snapchat. “She was affiliated with a motorcycle club I’m in, and she did some modeling,” he said.

Mr. Manross said he found the internet video to be disturbing.

“It is quite the sensational piece,” he said. “You have a bunch of beautiful girls that end up dying in a DUI crash after drinking for hours. It was grossly irresponsible, morethan anything.

“People have told [Ms. Herwig] that she needed to slow her roll.”