No police chase in hit-and-run death of Nova student, police say

A patrol-car videotape shows that a Haverford Township police officer did not engage in hot pursuit of the stolen car in last week's hit-and-run crash that killed a Villanova University senior, a police official said.

"There is no high-speed chase," John Viola, the deputy police chief, said Monday in an interview. In the videotape, he said, "the police car is so far behind the suspect car, you don't even see it."

In the earliest minutes of Wednesday morning, a stolen Range Rover allegedly driven by Donnie Sayers of Bryn Mawr crashed into a Volkswagen Jetta, killing Daniel M. Giletta, 21, and critically injuring his roommate, Frank "Patrick" DiChiara, also 21.

The funeral for Giletta, an electrical engineering student, was held Monday at St. Elizabeth's Roman Catholic Church in his hometown of Wyckoff, N.J. Villanova offered bus service from the campus so that students could attend.

DiChiara, of Toms River, N.J., remained in critical condition at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, a hospital spokeswoman said Monday.

Moments before Wednesday's crash, the stolen Range Rover was spotted by Officer Thomas McDermott. The car then took off on Haverford Road at speeds estimated at up to 100 m.p.h. before slamming into the Jetta.

Police initially charged Kenneth Woods, 21, of West Philadelphia, in the crash after discovering his palm print in the SUV, along with a photo, believed to be of him, in a cell phone left in the stolen car.

Woods was released Friday after giving police information that led them to an acquaintance, Sayers - who came forward to surrender, saying he was sorry for the accident, according to police.

Police said Woods was no longer a suspect in the crash.

Sayers, 28, is charged with third-degree murder, driving under the influence, and other charges. He is being held in the Delaware County prison on $1 million bail, awaiting a preliminary hearing this week.