Murder charge in fatal crash
Noelle Chew, 26, charged with killing a man in a head-on collision while allegedly driving drunk
BUCKS COUNTY >> A 26-year-old Quakertown woman accused of killing a man in a head-on collision while driving drunk in Hilltown in January is now facing a third-degree murder charge.
Authorities say Noelle Theresa Chew was highly intoxicated behind the wheel of her 2010 BMW 335i heading southbound in the opposing lane of the Route 309 bypass just after midnight on Jan. 21 when she smashed into a northbound 2000 Kia Sephia driven by 24-year-old Damian Toalombo of Allentown.
Toalombo was transported to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said.
Chew suffered non-lifethreatening injuries as a result of the collision, and during transport to the hospital she “created a disturbance in the ambulance and refused treatment,” according to police.
Chew was originally charged with homicide by vehicle while DUI, homicide by vehicle, driving under the influence, reckless driving and disregarding a traffic lane.
Prosecutors added the third-degree murder charge based on additional information gleaned after the fatal crash, according to Bucks County Assistant District Attorney Robert James.
James explained that a combination of factors led to the new charge: Chew’s blood alcohol content was .204 percent at the time of the crash; she ignored her boyfriend’s attempts to stop her from driving because she was drunk; she drove “many” miles in the opposing lane on 309, causing several vehicles to evade contact with her before she ultimately struck Toalombo’s car; and she crashed head-on into Toalombo without braking or making any attempts to avoid the collision, the prosecutor said.
Further, James said, a witness followed Chew on the other side of the concrete road divider for about 10 minutes while going between 50 and 55 miles per hour, yelling at Chew and honking his horn at her in an effort to get her to stop driving in the wrong lane, all to no avail.
The third-degree murder and all other charges have been held for trial; formal arraignment is set April 7.
Chew’s lawyer, Andrew Schneider, said Tuesday he couldn’t comment on the specifics of the case as it heads for trial, but he called the situation “a tragedy beyond words...there are two families that are absolutely heartbroken.”
Chew remains behind bars at Bucks County jail in lieu of 10 percent of $500,000 cash bail while awaiting her next court date.