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Kevin Michael Baker Jr., 20, of Bensalem, turned himself in Monday, April 25, to be arraigned on charges of accidents involving death or personal injury, tampering with physical evidence, and failure to stop and give information or render aid, the Bucks County District Attorney's Office said.
Baker was allegedly behind the wheel of a truck that struck and killed 65-year-old John Dugan, as he crossed State Road in Bristol Township to go to a Christmas party on the afternoon of Dec. 24, 2021, authorities said. Baker did not stop at the scene.
Dugan was taken to Jefferson-Torresdale Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
A woman with Dugan told police they were crossing State Road when he fell on the road, likely caused by a medical condition that causes his legs and feet to give out, they said.
The woman told police she tried to help Dugan up, but a truck “passed me real fast and hit John,” according to a Grand Jury presentment.
Surveillance video from area businesses helped police identify the offending vehicle as a red Chevy Silverado with black wheels, they said.
After Bristol Township police released information on the crash, they received a tip that led them to Baker and his girlfriend, they said.
Police also learned that Baker had tried to clean the driver’s side of the front bumper and repair a fog light that was damaged in the crash, the DA's office said.
Baker would not have been criminally responsible for Dugan's death if he had remained at the scene, according to an officer who specializes in crash reconstruction, because the investigation found that he was not speeding and the area Dugan crossed was dark and lacked a posted or marked pedestrian crosswalk.
Also, Dugan was wearing dark clothing and had fallen when Baker ran over him, Bristol Township police officer Kenneth Margerum said.
Baker was being held at the county jail in lieu of $150,000 bail, the DA's office said.
Dugan was a grandfather of six, according to a GoFundMe launched in December for his funeral expenses.
"I’m grateful to the members of the Bucks County Grand Jury for their role in solving this mystery," District Attorney Matt Weintraub said.
"We will take their recommendation to heart by commencing prosecution of Mr. Baker. Hopefully, their work will enable us to get justice for John Dugan and his loved ones who grieve his passing."
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