A 17-year-old Harrisburg boy is facing homicide charges after Derry Township police say he was speeding at more than 70 mph and high on marijuana when his sedan slammed head-on into a minivan near Hersheypark, killing both men inside it. The crash happened the morning of Aug. 11 at the intersection of West Hersheypark Drive and North Hockersville Road, and police announced the charges this week, more than a month after the deadly wreck.
According to crimewatch.net, the Derry Township Police Department responded to the head-on collision at approximately 8:53 a.m. that day. Preliminary findings indicated the sedan was traveling east on West Hersheypark Drive while the minivan was headed west, and police said it is believed the minivan's driver turned left in front of the oncoming sedan, leading to the collision. The roadway was closed from Park Boulevard to Old West Chocolate Avenue while investigators worked the scene, reopening shortly before 2 p.m., per the same account.
The minivan's driver, identified as Ronald Lindenmuth, 57, of Phoenix, Arizona, died at the scene. As reported by dailyvoice.com, the minivan's passenger — identified by that outlet as James Eyerly, 63 — was taken to Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, where he later died from his injuries. A separate report from abc27.com identified the passenger as James Everly, 62, of Harrisburg; the discrepancy in the passenger's name and age between the two accounts has not been resolved.
Teen Driver Hospitalized, Then Charged Weeks Later
The 17-year-old sedan driver was also taken to Hershey Medical Center, with what police described as non-life-threatening injuries, the Daily Voice reported. It wasn't until this week that Derry Township police announced the teen had been charged as a juvenile with homicide by vehicle while DUI and DUI involving a controlled substance or metabolite. Investigators said he was under the influence of marijuana “to a degree which rendered him incapable of safely driving his vehicle,” according to the same police account relayed by the Daily Voice.
Police also said the teen was believed to have been traveling faster than 70 mph as he approached the intersection, a detail first reported by abc27.com. Beyond the DUI-related counts, he was also charged with driving at a safe speed, driving an unregistered vehicle, and operating a vehicle without a valid inspection — stemming from the fact that the sedan's registration and inspection had both expired in July, the outlet noted. The teen is being charged as a juvenile, according to the original report from The Sun, and he is presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.
Investigation Drew In County Crash Reconstruction Team
The case was investigated by Derry Township police with assistance from the Dauphin County Crash Reconstruction Team and the Dauphin County District Attorney's Office, the station's report noted. Lindenmuth and the minivan passenger were reportedly brothers-in-law and co-owners of Roadrunner Container Management, according to the Daily Voice's reporting on the men's relationship.
How Pennsylvania Law Treats Vehicular Homicide Cases
Under Pennsylvania law, homicide by vehicle while DUI is classified as a second-degree felony when a person unintentionally causes a death as a result of a DUI violation and is convicted of DUI, according to the Pennsylvania General Assembly. The statute provides for a minimum prison term of not less than three years, with a consecutive three-year term for each victim whose death resulted from the DUI violation, and it was most recently amended by Pennsylvania Act 58, effective Dec. 22, 2025. It remains unclear whether those adult sentencing provisions would apply in this juvenile case.
A July 2025 example of similar charges in Pennsylvania came from Berks County. An 18-year-old was charged with homicide by vehicle while DUI and related offenses following a fatal crash, per wfmz.com. In Allegheny County, a man was charged with homicide by vehicle while DUI, involuntary manslaughter and related counts in connection with a fatal 2025 East McKeesport crash, according to cbsnews.com.
