A Bethlehem man will spend several years in prison for causing a crash that killed his passenger last year in the city.
Matthew Torres, 26, was sentenced Wednesday to four years and 11 months to 11 years and eight months in prison for the Aug. 4, 2024, crash that killed Leanna Farraj in Bethlehem, Northampton County District Attorney Stephen Baratta said.
Torres pleaded guilty in July to homicide by vehicle while DUI, involuntary manslaughter and DUI. His remaining charges, including homicide by vehicle and reckless endangerment, were withdrawn.
Authorities said Torres was under the influence of drugs, alcohol or a combination of both when he crashed his vehicle in the 1600 block of Stefko Boulevard. Torres told authorities he smoked marijuana and drank alcohol while at Musikfest before driving. Farraj, 24, of Brooklyn, died in the crash.
Investigators, after speaking to witnesses and reviewing surveillance footage, determined Torres was driving recklessly and speeding between vehicles in the northbound lane of Stefko Boulevard. He failed to navigate a bend and crashed into a parked car and two utility poles before coming to rest at a light.
When police arrived, they found Torres in the driver’s seat and Farraj in the passenger seat. Bystanders tried providing aid to her, but she was pronounced dead at the scene. The Northampton County Coroner’s Office determined she died from multiple blunt-force injuries, with the manner accidental.
Torres was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment of his injuries. Police filed charges a few days later.
Farraj was a “shining light” in the lives of her friends and family, they wrote in a GoFundMe campaign shortly after her death. She had just gotten her bachelor’s degree, and was working toward a master’s degree as she pursued her dream of being a teacher.
