Yesterday, a man admitted to being responsible for a fatal traffic accident that took the lives of a visiting couple from Connecticut earlier this year. John Thomas Wadlinger Jr., a 32-year-old resident of Bensalem, pled guilty to a series of charges in connection with the crash that occurred in February, as reported by the Bucks County government's official update.
The plea, made before Common Pleas Judge C. Theodore Fritsch, Jr., included 20 counts, including two counts of homicide by vehicle while DUI and two counts of homicide by vehicle. The judge has since called for a pre-sentence investigation and deferred sentencing for 60 days following the plea. Wadlinger's swift admission of guilt points to an overwhelming amount of evidence against him, compiled through a joint investigation by the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office, Bristol Township Police Department, and Plumstead Township Police Department.
The investigation revealed that Wadlinger was under the influence of methamphetamine and amphetamine during the time of the incident. On Feb. 24, it is said that he sped through a traffic intersection in Bristol Township and crashed into the vehicle of Rebecca Whiddon, 33, and Richard Whiddon, 37. The couple was from Brooklyn, Connecticut, and both were pronounced dead at the scene.
