Two volunteer firefighters gave their lives not fighting flames — but searching for a missing woman on a dark Pennsylvania road.
On April 4, Walnuttown Fire Company Chief Jeffory Buck, 60, and Assistant Chief Robert Shick, 56, were riding a utility vehicle along Route 222 in Berks County when a Toyota Camry suddenly veered off the road and struck them head-on. Both men were killed instantly.
The driver, Alexander Sepulveda Rivera, 26, allegedly fled the scene immediately after the crash — but witnesses helped police track him down nearby.
What investigators found was disturbing. Rivera admitted he had been smoking marijuana that same day. A crack pipe was found on him. And according to Berks County DA John Adams, Rivera did not have a driver’s license — and may never have had one.
Rivera now faces two counts of homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence, along with multiple other serious charges.
Meanwhile, the community is mourning two men who dedicated their lives to serving others.
“Rest easy chiefs, we got it from here,” the Walnuttown Fire Company posted on Facebook.
The full details of the crash, the missing woman search, and what happens next in Rivera’s case.
