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Chase R. Strahler, 25, faces multiple felony offenses for the wreck that killed 63-year-old John Sassaman on Oct. 2, said the Lehigh County District Attorney's Office and Allentown police.
First responders were called to the 400 block of South 24th Street just before 1 a.m. that morning for a serious crash, the release says.
They arrived to find Strahler's Jeep Grand Cherokee facing east in the southbound lane and Sassaman's Hyundai Sonata in the front yard of a nearby home with damage to the driver's side, authorities wrote.
Sassaman was rushed to an area hospital where he died of complications from multiple traumatic injuries, the Lehigh County Coroner's Office has said.
Strahler, meanwhile, "smelled of alcohol and his speech was slurred," police claimed. His blood alcohol content was found to be 0.20 percent, according to the District Attorney's Office.
Investigators believe Sassaman was headed south on S. 24th Street when he struck a parked car. Strahler's Jeep then hit Sassaman's Hyundai and the parked car, authorities said.
Officials conducted an "extensive accident reconstruction" which concluded that Sassaman's fatal injuries were caused by the crash with Strahler, and not from the crash into the parked car, authorities said.
Sassaman's blood alcohol content at the time of his death was 0.09 percent, they noted.
Investigators also believe Strahler was going between 41 and 44 mph at the time of the wreck, while the posted limit was 35 mph.
"(A) normal, coherent, and sober driver would have had enough time to stop and avoid the crash," prosecutors said.
Strahler was arraigned early Thursday, Sept. 14 and released after posting $50,000 unsecured bail, according to court records. He is due in court for his preliminary hearing on Sept. 28.
Daily Voice has reached out to an attorney representing Strahler.
John Sassaman, known as Big Jack, was a class of1978 graduate of William Allen High School who went on to work for the City of Allentown, and was an employee of the Allentown Area Ecumenical Food Bank at the time of his death, according to his obituary.
He enjoyed bodybuilding and even helped organize and promote competitions like Big Cat Classic and NPC Lehigh Valley. He was a huge Eagles fan, who liked to spend time with his pets and his children, as detailed in his obituary.
He is survived by his loving wife of over 32, Lori; son, Jack; daughter, Melanie; mother and father-in-law, Edda and Ron Schaedel; brother and sister-in-law Rick and Trena Schaedel; brother, Shawn; nephew, Alex; niece, Lauren; half-sister and brother-in-law, Gayle Kelley and Jack, and numerous friends, as explained in his obituary.
He was buried at Resurrection Cemetery in Allentown.
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