Philadelphia man charged in fatal Cheltenham Township crash: Officials – NBC10 Philadelphia

A Philadelphia man has been charged with vehicular homicide, drunken driving and other related offenses following a crash that killed one man in Cheltenham Township last month, Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele announced .

Cedric Galette, 47, of Philadelphia, was arrested and charged with vehicular homicide – DUI, vehicular homicide, driving under the influence, reckless driving and unregistered vehicle charges, and other related offenses charged with a Sept. 18 crash that killed 28-year-old Tory Rivera in Cheltenham Township.

According to officials, the accident occurred at N. 5th St. and Cheltenham Ave. around 10 p.m. in the Melrose Park neighborhood.

When responding officers arrived, they found two vehicles, a silver 2007 Callilac CTS driven by Galette and a black 2022 Cadillac SUV driven by Rivera, officials said. Rivera was removed from his vehicle and transported to Jefferson Abington Hospital, where he died ten days later.

Officials said Galette was removed from his vehicle by medical personnel and transported to Jefferson Einstein with serious injuries.

An investigation conducted by Cheltenham Township Police and the Montgomery County Detective Bureau revealed that Galette was driving his silver Cadillac northbound on 5th Street at more than 60 mph in an area with a 30 mph speed limit applies, officials said.

According to officers, Galette was driving through a red light with his headlights off when his vehicle struck Rivera's black Cadillac SUV, which was driving through the intersection on a solid green light. The impact caused Rivera's vehicle to crash into the traffic light pole and utility pole, resulting in his death.

Officials said investigators at the scene found no skid marks on the roadway, indicating Galette took no action or attempted to slow down before the crash. The investigation also revealed that Galette's vehicle registration was suspended and he had no insurance coverage.

A toxicology report found that phencyclidine, better known as PCP, was in Galette's system during the crash, officials said. Recovered from inside his vehicle were several glass jars filled with a wet, leafy substance suspected to contain phencyclidine.

Galette was arrested Oct. 29 and arraigned by District Judge Douglas H. Lavenberg, who set bail at $50,000 cash with the condition that he not drive, officials said. He was unable to make bail and was booked into the Montgomery County Correctional Facility.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for November 4th.