Man charged with killing Air Force vet in wheelchair, leaving while DUI

FAIRHILL (WTXF) - The man accused of hitting two pedestrians -- killing one -- while driving under the influence has now been identified and charged.

Police say 29-year-old Andrew Acito from Glenolden, Pa. was driving his white 2004 Ford F-250 pickup truck eastbound on Lehigh Avenue at about 1:40am Saturday. That's when he hit a 37-year-old woman in a wheelchair in the center median of the roadway at Mascher Street.

Then, they say he sped away, hit another pedestrian, and got away again by disregarding "the steady red light at B Street and Lehigh." But they say officers saw him, "activated their overhead lights and stopped vehicle for investigation."

Acito was taken into custody for DUI.

Police say the second pedestrian hit -- an 18-year-old woman -- "was able to positively identify the vehicle at the scene as the one that struck her and (the woman in the) wheelchair." She was taken to the hospital and treated for minor injuries.

The first victim -- a beloved Air Force veteran and mother of two -- also went to the hospital but died about 30 minutes later.

Acito is charged with homicide by vehicle, homicide by vehicle while DUI, involuntary manslaughter, driving under the influence and related offenses.