Two motorcyclists and a suspected drag racer dead in three Philly crashes

Two motorcyclists and a suspected drag racer were killed in three separate crashes over the weekend in Philadelphia, police said.

The motorcycle accidents were an hour apart early Sunday morning. The other fatality, believed linked to drag racing, resulted in a fiery crash late Friday night.

That one involved a 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee that was eastbound on the 600 block of Pattison Avenue in South Philadelphia at 11:40 p.m. Friday. Police said the Jeep struck three trees and a guardrail before bursting into flames.

The driver was pronounced dead at the scene. Police provided no information about the type of vehicle he might have been racing.

The first motorcycle accident occurred at 1:45 a.m. Sunday on the 6200 block of West Passyunk Avenue in Southwest Philadelphia. Police said a trucker suspected of driving under the influence was eastbound on the 6200 block of West Passyunk Avenue when he crossed into the westbound lanes and hit a 54-year-old man on a motorcycle. The motorcyclist was taken to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 6:37 a.m.

The truck driver was also taken to Penn Presbyterian in stable condition. Police said he has been arrested but did not provide specific charges.

At 2:44 a.m. Sunday, a Kawasaki EX3 was northbound on the 5300 block of Rising Sun Avenue when it struck the driver side of a 2018 Chevrolet van. Traveling west on Geneva Street, the van had just pulled into the intersection with Rising Sun after briefly stopping at a stop sign, police said.

The motorcyclist, a 25-year-old male, was pronounced dead at the scene, police said. The van driver was not injured, police said.

The identities of the dead were not released.