Police have arrested the driver of a car that crashed into a motorcycle late Saturday in Dormont, killing the man who was riding it.
Allegheny County police identified the driver of the Ford Taurus as Saul Rivera-Ramirez, 25, of Etna. He is charged with homicide by vehicle and lack of a valid driver’s license.
The crash was reported around 10:45 p.m. near the intersection of Pioneer and West Liberty avenues in Dormont. Motorcyclist Christian Sluka, 23, of Dormont, was critically injured and died at UPMC Mercy hospital in Pittsburgh of blunt force trauma to the head, police said.
Surveillance camera footage of the crash shows the motorcycle sitting at a red light in the northbound lane of West Liberty when the northbound Taurus strikes it, forcing it into oncoming southbound traffic, according to a criminal complaint filed by county police.
Police said additional footage shows Sluka being thrown from the motorcycle to the ground and a man and woman exiting the Taurus and walking away from the scene with two young children.
An examination of the Taurus revealed it had a license plate not issued to it and that Sluka apparently came into contact with the windshield during the crash, according to the complaint.
In a later interview with investigators, Rivera-Ramirez admitted to driving the Taurus while heading home with his wife and two children at the time of the crash, police said.
He told police his car was hit by another vehicle and his family exited the car because it began smoking, according to the complaint.
Rivera-Ramirez said he saw a man lying on the street as they were walking away from the car, police said.
Police said Rivera-Ramirez didn’t attempt to help Sluka and no one in the car called 911 to report the crash. Camera footage indicated the defendant didn’t apply his brakes before the collision, police said.
Rivera-Ramirez was placed in the Allegheny County Jail after being denied bail at a Sunday arraignment. He faces an Oct. 4 preliminary hearing.
Anyone with information is asked to call the county police tip line at 1-833-ALL-TIPS.
Upcoming Local Events
Jeff Himler is a TribLive reporter covering Greater Latrobe, Ligonier Valley, Mt. Pleasant Area and Derry Area school districts and their communities. He also reports on transportation issues. A journalist for more than three decades, he enjoys delving into local history. He can be reached at jhimler@triblive.com.