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Bucks County woman charged in weekend DUI crash

Danae Marie Swartz, 26, was charged with homicide by vehicle and DUI and related crimes.

Danae Marie Swartz, 26, of Perkasie, charged with homicide by vehicle and DUI after an early-morning crash Dec. 16 that instantly killed Tsegai Gebremichael, 56, of Sellersville.
Danae Marie Swartz, 26, of Perkasie, charged with homicide by vehicle and DUI after an early-morning crash Dec. 16 that instantly killed Tsegai Gebremichael, 56, of Sellersville.Read moreHilltown Police Department

A Perkasie woman who killed a fellow motorist in a head-on crash in Hilltown on Sunday morning was under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time, authorities said Wednesday in announcing her arrest.

Danae Marie Swartz, 26, was charged with homicide by vehicle, DUI, and related crimes. Authorities said the victim, Tsegai W. Gebremichael, 56, of Sellersville, was dead at the scene.

Around 5:25 a.m., Swartz was driving her Honda Civic southbound on Route 113 between Moyer Road and Hamilton Street in the Blooming Glen section when, authorities say, she lost control of the car at a bend in the road.

The car spun counter-clockwise, then veered into the northbound lane, hitting Gebremichael’s Honda Civic. According to his obituary, Gebremichael was a husband, brother, and father of five. Born in Eritrea, he was a member of Trinity Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Hatboro, a drone enthusiast, and a tool collector.

Swartz was taken to St. Luke’s University Hospital in Bethlehem, Pa., for injuries that were not life-threatening, authorities said. Later, she was booked in the Bucks County Correctional Facility after she did not post $500,000 bail.

Her preliminary hearing is scheduled for Jan. 8, 2019.