EASTON, Pa. — A Bethlehem man was sentenced Wednesday to eight years and eight months to 19 years in state prison for a 2025 hit-and-run crash that seriously injured a pedestrian.
Leroy Mendez was sentenced after being found guilty of all 12 counts in a non-jury trial on April 27, 2026, before Judge Paula A. Roscioli. His convictions include aggravated assault, aggravated assault by vehicle while driving under the influence, accidents involving death or personal injury, insurance fraud, and DUI.
The charges stem from an incident on July 19, 2025, at approximately 1:32 a.m. on East Fourth Street in Bethlehem. Emergency personnel responded to the area for a report of a pedestrian struck by a vehicle that fled the scene.
The victim, 24-year-old Erykah Ramos, was thrown into the air by the impact and landed on the street. She was transported to a hospital with serious injuries, including a traumatic brain injury, and will require extensive, lifelong medical care.
Surveillance footage captured the vehicle striking Ramos, colliding with a parked vehicle, and fleeing. Officers later located the vehicle, which was registered to Mendez, at his residence, where it was found with visible damage.
Officers made contact with Mendez at his home and learned he had filed an insurance claim earlier that morning, stating another vehicle had sideswiped his car. While speaking to Mendez, officers observed signs of impairment and administered field sobriety tests.
A blood draw revealed Mendez had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.126%, but investigators determined it was between 0.17% and 0.27% at the time of the incident. Footage also showed Mendez committing numerous traffic violations and driving aimlessly and recklessly in the period leading up to the incident.
The case was investigated by Detective Andrew Yost of the Bethlehem City Police Department. It was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Debra Naish and Assistant District Attorney Stephanie Kocher.