A Plymouth man who was drunk and racing another car at 141 miles per hour on Route 3 when his Jeep flipped and killed his childhood sweetheart has been sentenced to 10 to 14 years in state prison. Anthony Bradley pleaded guilty to manslaughter while under the influence of alcohol and two lesser charges stemming from the August 2024 crash that killed 29-year-old Lauren Eldridge, a radiologic technologist and mother of a young daughter from Natick.
According to the Plymouth Independent, Plymouth Superior Court Judge Beverly Cannone handed down the sentence after prosecutors Daniel Higgins and Jason Herron urged a term of 12 to 14 years, while Bradley's attorney, Paul Stanton, had asked for the five-year mandatory minimum for a manslaughter while under the influence conviction. Bradley, whose age has been reported as both 30 and 32 in different accounts of the case, also pleaded guilty to operating under the influence of alcohol and reckless operation of a motor vehicle, according to the same report.
Bradley will serve two years of probation on the lesser charges once his prison term ends, and he has lost his driver's license for 15 years, the Plymouth Independent reports. Under Massachusetts law, a motor-vehicle-homicide conviction tied to operating under the influence can also carry a lifetime suspension of driving privileges, according to Mass.gov.
A 141-MPH Race Down Route 3
The crash happened on the evening of August 30, 2024, when Massachusetts State Police responded to a collision on Route 3 in Plymouth, according to the Plymouth County District Attorney's Office. Witnesses told first responders a white Jeep Cherokee was driving in excess of 100 miles per hour, and prosecutors say Bradley was going as fast as 141 mph as he approached a Mini Cooper in the right lane, according to the Plymouth Independent's report.
Bradley tried to pass the Mini Cooper in the breakdown lane, then swerved to avoid a third car on the highway before his Jeep struck a vehicle and flipped end over end several times, the paper's report states. Both Bradley and Eldridge were thrown from the Jeep during the 10:30 p.m. crash. The Mini Cooper's driver managed to navigate her car back onto the road and called 911, according to a state police report cited in the coverage.
Eldridge was ejected from the Jeep and found on the road, according to prosecutors. She was flown to a Boston hospital and died from her injuries the following day, the district attorney's office said. A toxicology report later found Bradley was intoxicated and over the legal blood-alcohol concentration limit during the crash, per the same office, and prosecutors say Bradley had a blood alcohol level of 0.18 at Massachusetts General Hospital — more than twice the state's 0.08 legal limit. Bradley also admitted to first responders that he had been drinking and using marijuana, according to the report.
A Suspended License and a Second Driver
Court records show Bradley had been cited for multiple driving infractions and had his license suspended before the crash, the Plymouth Independent previously reported. Investigators also said a blue Dodge Charger driven by Chevelle Borden appeared to be racing the Jeep before the crash, according to the district attorney's office. Borden, 19, was charged with a single count of reckless operation of a motor vehicle; he received a two-year suspended sentence, according to the Plymouth Independent.
Under Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 90, Section 24G, homicide by motor vehicle while under the influence is punishable by 2.5 to 15 years in state prison, according to the Massachusetts General Laws. Bradley's 10-to-14-year sentence falls within that statutory range.
Kindergarten Sweethearts, a Life Cut Short
Bradley and Eldridge met in kindergarten and had begun planning their future together, including discussing marriage and shopping for engagement rings, according to a statement from Stanton reported by the Plymouth Independent. Stanton wrote that Bradley described Eldridge as his soulmate and has remained devoted to her memory, saying his client does not intend to pursue another relationship and has instead devoted himself to his Orthodox Christian faith.
Stanton also wrote that Bradley fully recognizes the tragedy and irreversible loss of Eldridge's life and that no sentence or words could lessen the grief of her family and loved ones. According to the attorney's statement, Bradley expressed profound sorrow and accepted responsibility for the harm he caused, and he now has physical, neurological, and psychological conditions that impair his daily functioning and prevent him from returning to work.
The sentencing adds to a string of recent Massachusetts cases involving fatal crashes. Earlier this month, a driver pleaded guilty to motor vehicle homicide by negligent operation and received jail time for striking and killing a cyclist in a 2024 Cambridge crash, according to Boston.com.
