Image courtesy of Cheltenham Police
Cedric Galette is facing charges of homicide, DUI, and related offenses, police said.
The Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele and Cheltenham Township Police Department have announced that driving under the influence (DUI) charges have been filed in the case of a September vehicle accident in Cheltenham.
Along with the CTPD Chief John Slavin said in a release on Thursday that Cedric Galette, 47, of Philadelphia, has been charged with homicide by vehicle, DUI, reckless driving, and related charges after the Sept. 18 fatal crash that took the life of Troy Rivera, 28, son of Cheltenham High School’s football coach, Troy Gore.
Rivera was rushed from the scene with life-threatening injuries and died ten days later because of them. His father has said that he is trying to take his grief and help other young men learn from his loss.
In a recent interview with the Philadelphia Inquirer, Gore said he is “still in a state of disbelief.”
“I think there’s a responsibility for men to show and display emotional intelligence that teaches a young man that it’s OK to mourn, it’s OK to cry, it’s OK to say, ‘I love you,’” he said. “When you teach young men how to mourn, how to cry, how to walk away, it actually helps them in conflict resolution and helps them channel their anger and get it out.”
The crash occurred around 10 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 18, according to CTPD reports, in the area of North Fifth Street and Cheltenham Avenue, Melrose Park. Police said they arrived to the scene to find a 2007 silver Cadillac CTS, driven by Galette, and a 2022 black, Cadillac SUV driven by Rivera.
According to reports, Rivera was extricated from his vehicle and taken to Jefferson-Abington Hospital. Galette, who was also removed from his vehicle after the accident by medical personnel, was transported to Jefferson-Einstein in East Norriton with serious injuries.
Steele said that a crash investigation was completed by both CTPD and the Montgomery County Detective Bureau, which found that Galette was driving northbound on Fifth Street at a speed “more than 60 miles per hour” in an area with a posted speed limit of 30 mph. Galette drove without his headlights on and ran a red light, police said, which caused him to strike Rivera’s SUV, which was traveling westbound on Cheltenham Avenue. According to reports, Rivera had a steady green light, and was legally driving through the intersection, police said.
Due to the impact, Rivera’s car was pushed into a traffic light pole and utility pole, later causing his death.
“The on-scene examination by investigators found no skid marks in the roadway, which indicate that Galette took no evasive action or braking prior to the crash,” Steele said in a release to the press. “The investigation revealed that Galette’s vehicle registration was suspended, and he had no insurance coverage.”
A toxicology test found that Galette’s blood had a presence of Phencyclidine, known on the street as “PCP,” said Steele.
“Inside Galette’s vehicle, multiple glass jars filled with a wet, leafy substance containing suspected Phencyclidine were recovered,” said the DA.
On Oct. 29, Galette was arrested on charges of Homicide by Vehicle – DUI, homicide by vehicle, driving under the influence, reckless driving, and related charges pertaining to an unregistered vehicle, as well as other summary offenses. He was arraigned by Magisterial District Judge Douglas H. Lavenberg, who also set bail at $50,000 cash, with a condition of no driving.
A bail review hearing was held on Oct. 30, before the Court of Common Pleas Judge Wendy Rothstein, who declined to change the bail amount. Unable to post bail, Galette was remanded to the Montgomery County Correctional Facility.
Galette is scheduled for a preliminary hearing before Magisterial District Judge Emmett Madden on Nov. 4 at 11 a.m. The case will be prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Gwendolyn Kull.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using public court records.
