PITTSBURGH — Pennsylvania State Police say a driver who died after crashing off the Parkway East into the Monongahela River was under the influence at the time of the incident.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE >>> Woman, 31, dies after vehicle plunges into icy Mon River from the Parkway East
As Channel 11 previously reported, a vehicle went off the Parkway East into the river near the 900 block of Second Avenue in late January after striking a snow embankment.
The driver, Jacinta Stevens, 31, was rescued from her vehicle after it plunged into the frigid waters, but later died at a hospital.
Since then, PSP has been working with Pittsburgh Police to backtrack Stevens’ movements before the crash to try to understand what happened. Troopers were also able to advance the investigation once her vehicle was removed from the river in April.
PHOTOS >>> Divers perform rescue efforts after vehicle submerged in Mon River
“We had to sort of backtrack and that was so many questions you guys had for us at the time of the crash was where was she, where was she going to, speed of the vehicle,” Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Rocco Gagliardi said.
Gagliardi said that city cameras showed Stevens at Lorenz Cafe for around three hours, leaving at about 4:20 p.m.
As she was leaving the bar, Gagliardi said she hit an unoccupied parked vehicle, but kept driving, then hit another unoccupied parked vehicle on Steuben Street. Pittsburgh Police responded to both of those hit-and-run reports.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE >>> Crews recover vehicle that went off Parkway East into Mon River earlier this year
Authorities said cameras later captured her driving on the Parkway East until the moments before she crashed into a snowbank and plunged into the icy Monongahela River.
“That was almost a missing component. We had everything backtracked except when we lost that two seconds of video quality, what happened in the far-left lane and into the right,” the spokesperson said.
An autopsy determined that Stevens was under the influence of alcohol, above the legal limit, at the time of the crash off the bridge. Gagliardi declined to provide an exact BAC.
After speaking with witnesses who came forward after PSP’s initial press conference in January, Gagliardi said investigators determined no one else hit her vehicle. One witness told troopers that Stevens passed him at a high rate of speed while in the far left lane, then lost control and went off the bridge on the right side.
Gagliardi wasn’t able to say exactly how fast Stevens was driving, but called it “excessive” and noted that a witness said she “flew by him.”
Investigators determined no other vehicles on the Parkway East were damaged in the crash.
Liquor Control’s investigation into activity within Lorenz Cafe is still ongoing.
A co-owner of the Lorenz Cafe also released the following statement to Channel 11:
We are heartbroken by the tragic accident involving Jacinta Stevens. Jacinta was a beloved customer and friend to many here, and our thoughts are with her loved ones and everyone affected by this loss. Based on our staff’s observations at the time, she did not appear to be visibly intoxicated. We are fully cooperating with authorities as they continue their investigation. Out of respect for all involved and the ongoing process, we will not be commenting further at this time.,
Friends described Stevens as a kind and caring person, still deeply missed by those who knew her.
“I would see her in here or coming in here and she was just a very sweet, loving soul,” friend Twan Jefferson said.
“She was just a good soul,” Jefferson added.
Investigators determined no other vehicles on the Parkway East were damaged in the crash.
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