18-year-old charged in June crash that killed a Philly police officer in the Northeast
The defendant was driving a car that blew through a red light, police said. An investigation continues.
An 18-year-old has been charged in the crash that killed an off-duty Philadelphia police officer in June in the Northeast, police announced Saturday.
Aleksander Melnikov, of the 9900 block of Bustleton Avenue, was arrested Friday on several charges that included homicide by vehicle and reckless driving.
Police said he was driving a 2009 BMW “at a high rate of speed” when he blew through a red light at Bustleton Avenue and Rennard Street just before midnight on June 23. The BMW collided with a 2010 Hyundai driven by Police Officer Henry Gonski III, who was assigned to Philadelphia International Airport.
Gonski, “who had to be extricated from the vehicle,” was pronounced dead at the scene.
No injuries were reported to Melnikov, who remained at the scene of the crash, or the two other occupants of the BMW, police said.
Melnikov, who was arrested at the police Accident Investigation Division headquarters, was charged after an investigation that remains in progress, police said.
Melnikov was released on $100,000 bail, according to court records, which did not list an attorney for him. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Oct. 17.