Ivyland teenager killed in tragic weekend accident

NORTHAMPTON - An Ivyland teen was killed Saturday afternoon when the car in which he was a passenger left the roadway and struck a utility pole on Old Jacksonville Road between Ridgewood Place and Sackettsford Road in Northampton.

Northampton Police Chief Barry Pilla confirmed the teen who was killed was Cameron Smithwick, 19. He was one of five in the white Monte Carlo SS at the time of the crash, which police said happened at 1:50 p.m.

The other four were transported to St. Mary Medical Center by the Tri-Hampton Rescue Squad and the Warminster Volunteer Ambulance Service. They were: Monroe Leonard Tanner IV, 18, of Ivyland; Louis Piotti, 17, of Holland; Matthew Slade, 18, of Holland; and Daniel Harris, 17, of Holland. Piotti, Slade and Harris have been released from St. Mary, while Tanner remains in the medical center’s Intensive Care Unit, Pilla said.

According to Pilla, Officer Joseph Rosowski, an accident reconstructionist, is leading the investigation, which is ongoing. Pilla said he expected to know more in the coming days when the department is able to interview the four survivors and when he receives the coroner’s report, “which will help determine the cause of the crash.” The police department is asking anyone with information on the accident to contact Rosowski at 215-322-6111.

The Northampton Volunteer Fire Company responded to the crash. PECO was also called to the scene, as the damage to the utility pole left area residents without power for an undetermined amount of time, the police chief said.

Pilla released a statement Sunday night, which reads: “On behalf of the members of the police department, Chief Barry Pilla extends the department’s deepest sympathy to the Smithwick family. We would also offer our best wishes to the other young men involved in this crash. We wish that the injured heal quickly and that families involved in this crash do what they can to work through this tragic event.”

According to Council Rock School District Superintendent Mark Klein, Smithwick was a former student at Council Rock High School North. The other four teenagers are current Council Rock students – three at South, one at North. Klein said both high schools will have counselors available to meet with students in the aftermath of the accident.

“Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of all the students involved in this tragedy,” Klein said.