Philadelphia man was DUI in Monroe County crash that killed 3, police say

A Philadelphia truck driver allegedly high on marijuana has been charged in a five-vehicle crash that killed three people last year on Route 33 in Monroe County.

On Wednesday, Mark Anthony Rideout Jr., 36, was arraigned on charges alleging he was driving under the influence when he crashed his tractor-trailer, killing two adults and one teenage girl on March 1, 2023.

Killed in the crash were Bryan Franco, 25, of Hellertown, Samantha Crich, 40, of Wilkes-Barre, and a 14-year-old girl from Luzerne County whom officials have not identified.

Rideout Jr. is charged with three counts each of homicide by vehicle, homicide by vehicle while DUI, all of which are felonies, as well as misdemeanor offenses of DUI, recklessly endangering another person, involuntary manslaughter and summary traffic offenses.

Rideout was driving the tractor-trailer about 10:30 a.m. while in the southbound lanes of Route 33 near the Saylorsburg exit in Hamilton Township. The tractor-trailer hit the west berm, then hit an embankment and re-entered the southbound lanes before it crashed into the median and crossed over into the northbound lanes, according to court documents. It hit vehicles in the northbound lane, police said.

Crich and the 14-year-old girl were in a sedan that was hit. The girl was pronounced dead at the scene, and Crich was taken to Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest, where she died from her injuries that night. Their vehicle had "catastrophic" damage, police said.

Franco was in a sedan that was in the northbound lane that hit the tractor-trailer, according to court documents. He was taken to a nearby hospital, where he died from his injuries.

Rideout was able to get himself out of the tractor-trailer. Police said he seemed confused and unable to maintain his balance while at the scene. He denied being on drugs or alcohol, but failed field sobriety tests, court documents allege.

A blood test showed he had marijuana in his system at the time of the crash, police said.

Additionally, police said he was driving between 70 to 79 mph in a 55 mph zone during the crash, and there was no environmental or road problems that would have caused the crash.

Rideout was sent to Monroe County Prison without bail.

The charges come just several months after another truck driver was charged in a 2022 fatal crash on Route 33 in Bushkill Township, Northampton County, that killed three members of a Monroe County family.

Nelson Segura, 34, who is listed as having addresses in New Jersey, was charged in July with three felony counts of homicide by vehicle related to that crash, which killed a couple and their teenage daughter. Police said Segura was impaired by marijuana.