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Brian Briddle was identified as the operator of the motorcycle that an officer had tried stopping before he sped off at East Main Street west of South Chapel Street just before midnight on Wednesday, Aug. 27, city police said.
Briddle struck Noelia Gomez, who was in a crosswalk on West Main Street west of North College Avenue, police said. Gomez, of Clark, was a first-year student at the university, UDel said in a statement.
The motorcyclist was ejected from the bike, which continued onto the sidewalk on the north side of West Main Street and struck four pedestrians on the sidewalk, along with a light pole, police said.
Bystanders performed lifesaving measures on Gomez in the crosswalk, however, they were unsuccessful, and Gomez was pronounced dead at the scene.
Three of the pedestrians on the sidewalk suffered minor injuries for which they refused transportation to a hospital. One of the sidewalk pedestrians suffered injuries not believed to be life-threatening and was transported to an area hospital for treatment.
Gomez's LinkedIn page shows she graduated from Union Catholic Regional High School in Scotch Plains and was studying business and economics at UDel.
This crash occurred within one minute of the attempt to stop the motorcycle.
Briddle was arrested at his home by Newark police without incident. He was transported to Newark police headquarters where he was charged with: Murder Second Degree, Possession of a Deadly Weapon During the Commission of a Felony, Disregarding a Police Officer’s Signal, Driving a Special Vehicle Without a Special License, Operation of an Unregistered Motor Vehicle, Failure to Stop at a Red Light (3 counts).
Briddle appeared before Justice of the Peace Court No. 2 by video and was ordered to be held in default of $362,005 cash bail. He was turned over to the custody of the Howard R. Young Correctional Institution in Wilmington.
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