ALLENTOWN, Pa. — The Lehigh County District Attorney’s Office announced charges Tuesday against an Allentown man in a 2023 fatal crash that resulted in the deaths of two people.
Imanol Caraballo, 23, is charged with multiple felonies, according to a release, including two counts each of homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence, a felony of the second degree; two counts each of homicide by vehicle, a felony of the third degree; accidents involving death or personal injury, a felony of the second degree; and two counts each of accidents involving death or personal injury while not properly licensed, a felony of the third degree.
Killed in the crash were Christopher E. Stocker, 44, and Luz Daneza Ruiz Acosta, 43, both of Allentown, who succumbed to blunt force injuries after being struck in the 300 block of West Hamilton Street.
Caraballo also faces misdemeanor offenses and related summary charges connected to the incident, according to the release.
He was arraigned Monday and released on $50,000 unsecured bail, according to the district attorney.
Hit-and-run crash
Stocker and Acosta were struck in the hit-and-run crash in the 300 block of Hamilton Street about 1:15 a.m. on Sunday, Dec. 10, 2023.
According to the release, witnesses told police the vehicle that struck the couple was a grey sedan that fled eastbound on Hamilton Street.
A short time later, while traveling in the 100 block of Walnut Street, an Allentown police officer found a silver sedan parked nearby. The car’s windshield was smashed and the hood was dented.
A man identified as Caraballo was nearby and the investigation determined he had been driving the vehicle at the time of the crash, the release said.
Caraballo’s blood tested positive for THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, the release said.
Carballo’s preliminary hearing is scheduled for 10:15 a.m. Jan. 2.
