Bethlehem police investigating fiery crash at New and Elizabeth that hospitalized three

BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Three people were hospitalized Thursday afternoon after a two-vehicle crash at New Street and Elizabeth Avenue tore down two utility poles, set one of the vehicles on fire and brought live electrical wires onto the roadway, Bethlehem police said.

Officers responded to the crash in front of Fratelli Pizza at about 12:25 p.m., according to a media release from the Bethlehem Police Department. A white Kia driven by a younger man struck a gray SUV carrying two older women, witnesses on the scene said. The Kia’s driver was trapped inside the vehicle as it caught fire, police said.

Community members from nearby businesses ran to the scene and used a fire extinguisher to knock down the flames before firefighters arrived, said Adrian Beqiri, who works at Fratelli Pizza and was among the first to reach the wreck.

“We heard a big bang,” Beqiri said, describing the moment of impact from inside the restaurant. He said he and other neighbors grabbed a fire extinguisher kept at Fratelli Pizza and were able to “at least stop the fire a little bit” before emergency crews took over.

Beqiri said the Kia’s driver was unconscious when bystanders reached the wreck and had to be cut from the vehicle with the jaws of life. He said the driver was yelling and moving his arms after being extracted. In the SUV, Beqiri said, one woman appeared dazed in the passenger seat while the other was unresponsive.

Bethlehem police said three patients were transported to local hospitals and that there were no updates on their conditions as of the department’s Thursday afternoon release.

The collision severed a utility pole and brought down live electrical wires, creating what police described as an additional hazard for responders and the public. Two poles were taken down in the crash. The intersection remained closed Thursday evening while investigators worked the scene and utility crews addressed the damaged poles and lines, police said. Motorists were asked to seek alternate routes.

During the preliminary investigation, police said, the Kia may have been observed entering Route 378 northbound from the wrong direction using the Main Street ramp shortly before the crash. The department said the crash was not the result of a police pursuit.

A dash-cam video circulating on social media Thursday appears to show a white Kia traveling north on Schoenersville Road past Westgate Mall at a high rate of speed and crossing into oncoming lanes shortly before the crash. The footage has not been independently verified, and police have not confirmed whether it depicts the vehicle involved.

Beqiri said crashes at the intersection are common, but called Thursday’s the worst he has seen there. “This intersection has accidents throughout the year, but this is probably one of the worst ones we’ve seen,” he said.

The investigation is being conducted by the Bethlehem Police Department’s Patrol Division, Criminal Investigations Division and Major Accident Reconstruction Team, according to the release.

Once the initial investigation is complete, the Northampton County District Attorney’s Office will be consulted to determine whether criminal charges are warranted, police said.

The investigation remains active and ongoing.