A Butler County man has pleaded guilty in connection with the death of 15-year-old Aidan Lutz, who was struck by a car while riding an e-bike in 2023. Joshua Rivera, 41, entered the plea one week before his trial was set to begin, admitting to homicide by vehicle, accident involving death, and accident involving death while not properly licensed.
According to WTAE, Lutz was a 10th-grader in the Butler Area School District, per the district, and was described as a proud Boy Scout who enjoyed being outside with friends, riding bikes, playing soccer, and working on Volkswagens with his father. The crash left him with injuries serious enough that he was flown to a Pittsburgh hospital, where he later died.
Accounts differ on the exact date of the crash. WPXI reported that Lutz was riding an e-bike on Dutchtown Road on October 20, 2023, when he was struck, leaving him in critical condition, while the Butler Eagle reported that Lutz was riding his electric bike on Dutchtown Road when he was struck by Rivera on October 19, 2023. The Butler Eagle reported that Lutz died the next day, October 20, at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh as a result of his injuries.
Plea Comes Days Before Scheduled Trial
Rivera's guilty plea came just a week before his case was set to go to trial, per WTAE. The station reports he could face between 10 and 24 years in prison, with credit for time served, and that a judge was scheduled to formally sentence him Monday at 9 a.m.
The Butler Eagle's earlier reporting on the case noted that Rivera was found on October 22, 2023, at a Comfort Inn in Butler Township, two days after the crash that killed Lutz.
How Pennsylvania Law Treats the Charges
Pennsylvania's vehicle code lays out separate penalties for accidents involving death when a driver is not properly licensed, with the severity depending on which subsection applies. Under 75 Pa.C.S. § 3742.1, a violation of subsection (a)(1) resulting in death is classified as a third-degree felony, while a violation of subsection (a)(2) resulting in death is a second-degree misdemeanor; it is not established which subsection applies to Rivera's plea.
The case lands amid a broader rise in bicycle crashes statewide. A PennDOT crash facts report notes that Pennsylvania recorded 1,350 bicycle crashes in 2025, the highest total in the past five years, a trend the agency links in part to increased e-bike sales.
