Woman charged in Norristown street-racing crash that killed man
Ashley Jones, 20, was charged in the death of Francisco Salgado-Hernandez, 31, of Norristown on June 26.
A 20-year-old woman has been charged with causing the death if a 31-year-old man in a multi-vehicle crash while allegedly street racing in a rainstorm in Norristown in June, Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele announced Friday.
Ashley Jones, of Norristown, surrendered to police on Thursday and was charged with homicide by vehicle and related offenses in connection with the death of Francisco Salgado-Hernandez, of Norristown, on June 26.
Around 10:30 that night, Norristown police responded to West Main and Chain Streets for a multi-vehicle crash and found Salgado-Hernandez in cardiac arrest inside a black Honda Civic. Police performed CPR on Salgado-Hernandez and then he was transported to Jefferson Einstein Montgomery Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 11:12 p.m.
An autopsy found that Salgado-Hernandez, who was a passenger in the Honda Civic, died from blunt impact injuries sustained in the crash.
The crash investigation determined a blue 2014 Toyota Highlander driven by Jones, with an 11-year-old girl in the front passenger seat, was traveling east on West Main Street when it pulled alongside a gray Toyota Camry at a stoplight.
The two cars allegedly raced each other in heavy rain, with Jones’s vehicle exceeding 80 mph in a 25-mph zone. Jones allegedly failed to navigate a right curve, lost control of her Toyota Highlander and crossed into oncoming traffic.
The resulting crash that led to Salgado-Hernandez’s death involved five vehicles and injured six other people, including the 11-year-old girl. Jones was not injured.
“It’s hard to imagine anything more dangerous and reckless than racing in bad weather, in a busy business district, at more than three times the posted speed limit. And because of this defendant’s actions, a person is dead and others were injured,” Steele said in a statement.
Jones was arraigned before District Judge Denise Ashe, who set Jones’s bail at $50,000 unsecured. Jones’s next court appearance is set for Oct. 5.
An attorney for Jones could not be reached Friday.