Willowick man pleads in ‘horseplay incident’ that killed friend

An 18-year-old Willowick man accused of killing his friend during a “horseplay incident” in Wickliffe has pleaded guilty to a lesser charge.

Gary Reba was initially charged with thirddegree felony aggravated vehicular homicide for striking and killing his friend Anthony Noch, 17, in the parking lot of Wickliffe Lanes March 2.

At a March 13 hearing in Willoughby Municipal Court, he pleaded guilty to a first-degree misdemeanor charge of vehicular homicide.

Wickliffe Lt. Pat Hengst said Reba and Noch were at the 30315 Euclid Ave. bowling alley with

friends. While Noch was finishing paying inside, Reba moved his car from his original parking spot so that Noch would have to look for it.

Reba drove the car toward Noch to startle him, but in doing so hit Noch with the front driver’s side corner of his car. Noch fell to the ground and suffered a serious head injury.

Noch was taken first to Lake West Medical Center in Willoughby and then to University Hospitals in Cleveland, but died early March 3.

Hengst said both families are devastated by the incident. He said that Reba did not intend what happened, but his “reckless horseplay” resulted in someone’s death.

Noch was a senior at Wickliffe High School.

A sentencing date has not yet been set according to court records.