Death at T stop ruled an accident

The death of a Pittsburgh man who was struck by a pickup truck Tuesday evening as he exited a light-rail vehicle in Beechview was an accident, the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s office ruled Wednesday.

RobertMowers, 71, had juststepped off at the Belasco stopon Broadway Avenue whenthe passing truck struckhim. He was taken to UPMCMercy in critical conditionand later died.

The police investigation is ongoing, according to Pittsburgh police spokeswoman Alicia George. No arrests have been made, and no charges had been filed so far, she said.

Ms.George said “contrary tosome initial media reports, thiswas not a hit-and-run,” addingthat the driver of the truck“was cooperative with investigators.”

The incident resulted in the closure of the Port Authority’s Red Line in the Beechview area for approximately 2½ hours.

North Side boil-water advisory continues

A boil-water advisory for several thousand North Side households will continue at least until Thursday afternoon, the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority said Wednesday.

PWSA announced the precautionary advisory Monday for about 4,600 customers in the area of Brighton Heights and MarshallShadeland. A 16-inch main burst beneath Brighton Road, siphoning water pressure and opening a chance for contamination, according to the authority.

Workers have since fixed the pipe, first installed in 1921. PWSA has been running tests to make certain disinfectant levels are high enough and that water is safe to drink — a process that takes at least 48 hours under state and local standards. The first test samples were collected Tuesday, after the pipe repairs.

Initial tests found no contamination, according to PWSA. A second round of results is expected Thursday.

Chemist pleads guilty to stealing drugs

A former chemist with the Allegheny County crime lab pleaded guilty Wednesday to stealing drugs that were being used as evidence in a federal investigation.

MatthewIeraci, 29, of BaldwinBorough was charged in May2017 with taking alprazolam,an active ingredient inXanax, from an evidence lockerin the crime lab in Downtown.The drugs had beensent to the lab for chemicalanalysis in connection withan ongoing multi-jurisdiction, multi-agency federal drug-trafficking investigation, according to the U.S. Departmentof Justice.

Mr.Ieraci was removed fromhis job when he displayedslurred speech and poormotor skills in the lab andwas sent to a medical centerfor a drug test. He tested positivefor alprazolam and marijuanaand was later fired.

Mr. Ieraci pleaded guilty Wednesday to one count of theft before U.S. District Judge Mark R. Hornak. Sentencing was scheduled for Nov. 28.