EAST PETERSBURG, Pa. — Editor's note: The above video is from May 27, 2021.
The tractor trailer truck driver charged in a crash that killed two Lancaster County siblings in East Petersburg last year is now in custody in Florida, Northern Lancaster County Regional Police (NLCRPD) announced Tuesday.
Cesar Torres, 38, of Pembroke Pines, Fla. is charged with two counts each of homicide by vehicle, a third-degree felony, and involuntary manslaughter, a first-degree misdemeanor, along with summary traffic offenses in connection to the May 22, 2021 crash that killed Brandie and Leonard Kasper of Mount Joy.
The siblings, aged 21 and 18, respectively, were traveling in a pickup truck that was struck by a tractor trailer driven by Torres at the intersection of Main Street and Graystone Road in East Petersburg, according to NLCRPD.
The siblings were pronounced dead at the scene of the fiery crash, which engulfed both vehicles, police said.
Torres was not injured in the crash, according to police.
After a lengthy investigation that included a crash reconstruction, charges were filed against Torres last month. He is now in custody of the Broward County Sheriff's Office awaiting extradition proceedings that would bring him to Pennsylvania to face the charges against him, police said.
The victims' parents, who have advocated for safety modifications at the intersection where the crash occurred, were notified of the apprehension by the NLCRPD investigators.
After the crash, Len and Kathy Kasper called for a longer delay between the change from yellow to red at the stoplight where the crash occurred.
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation said the light, which has a delay of four seconds on yellow and two on red, conforms to federal standards.