Crime & Safety

Montco Woman Charged in Turnpike Hit and Run

Sunday night's crash sent a seven-year old to the hospital with critical injuries.

A Flourtown woman turned herself in to authorities Tuesday and faces multiple felony counts of aggravated assault by vehicle and related charges after police say she fled the scene of a crash Sunday night at mile marker 347 of the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Upper Southampton that left a seven-year-old passenger critically injured.

Holly Alsentzer, 27, was arraigned Tuesday night before District Judge John Waltman and sent to Bucks County prison in lieu of cash payment of 10 percent of $500,000 bail. Prosecutor Michael Hoover asked Judge Waltman to consider Alsentzer a flight risk and set a hefty bail amount. Defense attorney Sean Gresh countered that Alsentzer has no prior record, holds full time employment as an agent for a financial services company and followed the state police department's timetable when she turned herself in.

Waltman ordered the bail amount, commenting to Gresh that he was concerned about Alsentzer getting back behind the wheel of a vehicle.

At approximately 9 p.m. Sunday, state troopers arrived to the scene of the crash on the Pennsylvania Turnpike and found a heavily damaged white Range Rover SUV approximately 60 feet down an embankment, according to the affidavit. The driver, his wife and two children were treated for injuries ranging from minor to critical.

According to the affidavit, witnesses told state troopers that a dark-colored SUV sped past them, swerved across two lanes and onto the shoulder, veered back to the center lane before striking the rear of the victim's car. Both vehicles spun out of control, police say, with the white SUV overturning several times before stopping on the embankment, and the dark SUV facing east in the westbound lanes.

Police say that Alsentzer, the driver of the dark SUV, made a u-turn and fled the scene. Witnesses attempted to follow the car but could not keep up with it, according to the affidavit.

Court documents say that Alsentzer called the Pennsylvania State Police's King of Prussia station at approximately noon the next day and said she was the driver involved with the crash. Alsentzer told police that the SUV was at a body shop in Cheltenham, according to the affidavit.

Alsentzer's preliminary hearing has been tentatively scheduled for Oct. 31 at 1 p.m. before District Judge William Benz.


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