A man has been charged with DUI for his part in a car crash that killed a girl, 11, and injured four other people in South Philadelphia’s Italian Market this afternoon.
Florida resident Aleandro Drosi, 28, was driving west on Washington Avenue in a rented Chevrolet Impala around 12:30 p.m. when he allegedly ran a red light and t-boned a woman driving south on 8th Street in a Nissan Xterra SUV, police said. The impact forced the SUV to run up on the sidewalk and smash through seafood stand and restaurant Captain Jesse G.
“It’s unreal. There’s no room on the face of this earth for drunken drivers,” said neighbor Carl Scarpa, who came to the scene to check on his friend, owner Jesse Giordano. “He was saying he just barely jumped out of the way in time.”
Two children and three adults were injured, including the SUV’s driver. An 11-year-old girl coming out of the store was pinned to the wall and died on the scene. A three-year-old boy is in stable condition, as are all of the adults.
“There’s a lot of busy traffic here, then you get drunk and drive and that’s what happens,” Scarpa said. “Accidents happen, but there’s no excuse for driving drunk. It’s pathetic.”
Investigators said they are looking into more serious charges, like homicide by vehicle, for Drosi.
“It’s just a shame,” Scarpa said. “With everything else going on in the world, you’d think you’d be safe walking on the street in broad daylight.”
