William Soliday (left) in an Allegheny County Jail mug shot, (right) Samantha Kalkbrenner in a GoFundMe photo.
Months after a 15-year-old Catholic school student in Pennsylvania was ejected from a van and killed in a fiery collision, a furious district attorney brought murder and involuntary manslaughter charges against a Volkswagen driver accused of street racing at 107 mph in the early morning hours while innocent students were heading to class.
Around 7:25 a.m. on Sept. 20, a Wednesday, Samantha Lee Kalkbrenner was in a Serra Catholic High School van with three other students when 43-year-old William Soliday allegedly drove at unconscionable speeds in a 40 mph zone in Dravosburg, a Pittsburgh suburb, while racing 37-year-old co-defendant Andrew Voigt. Soliday allegedly crashed into the school van, ejecting three of the students, including Kalkbrenner.
Allegheny County DA Stephen A. Zappala Jr. at a Thursday press conference alongside the Allegheny County Police Department tore into Soliday in no uncertain terms.
“On this particular morning this school van had five persons on board, one driver, four children. These are all kids about 14, 15 years old. Three of the kids were ejected from the vehicle on impact,” Zappala began, saying that one victim was ejected onto Soliday’s burning car.
The DA said Soliday was driving at least at 90 mph at the moment of impact after a last-ditch attempt to hit the brakes after driving at “107 miles per hour in a 40-mile-per-hour zone. At 7:25 in the morning.” While acknowledging that Soliday is innocent until proven guilty, Zappala was clear that the state views this as a murder case.
Urging the news media to remind the public, Zappala said: “Driving is a privilege. You do stuff like this, you’re a murderer. That’s a deadly weapon. You turn that vehicle into a deadly weapon.”
The DA said that the video footage of the crash was too “graphic” to share at this time, but he said the evidence showed Soliday was driving at “107 miles an hour at one stretch” of the Dravosburg bridge, “which is kind of the landmark in this area” about a quarter-mile long.
“Because of the senselessness and the recklessness of the actions of the one defendant, Soliday, as I said earlier I think this is a murder case,” he said, noting that the defendant’s Volkswagen Jetta “immediately exploded” upon impact.
“We believe they were racing,” Zappala said of Soliday and Voigt, reportedly co-workers at the nearby Bettis Laboratory.
Though numerous bystanders immediately leapt into action to help the victims, Voigt allegedly kept driving his Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk away from the scene.
“This guy just kept on going. That’s cold. That’s really cold,” the DA said. “Good luck with that with the jury.”
The Allegheny County Police Department said Thursday that the crash occurred at the intersection of Richland Avenue and 3rd Street.
“One juvenile, later identified as 15-year-old Samantha Kalkbrenner, was pronounced dead at the scene. Three juveniles were transported to the hospital in stable condition. The driver of the bus, an adult male, was taken to an area hospital in critical condition,” cops said.
Both suspects were arrested on Thursday, with Soliday facing the most serious charges of the two.
Andrew Voigt mug shot (Allegheny County Jail)
Soliday is accused of third-degree murder, involuntary manslaughter, homicide by a vehicle, four counts of aggravated assault by a vehicle, seven counts of recklessly endangering another person, speeding, racing, and careless driving, authorities said.
Voigt is charged with accidents involving death or personal injury, seven counts of recklessly endangering another person, speeding, racing, reckless driving, and careless driving, police said.
The Tribune-Review reported that Soliday’s defense lawyer Casey White said while the accused “and his family are regretful” of the deadly crash, “At no point in time did Mr. Soliday act with any maliciousness.”
White reportedly told local ABC affiliate WTAE his client “doesn’t have any recollection of the accident, driving, or leaving home that day.”
“The earliest recollection he has is from the night before,” the attorney reportedly added. “My client suffered significant injuries, some head trauma, lacerations to his head. He had some internal injuries. So, he has dealt with those injuries and does not recall anything that day, let alone the accident.”
Court records reviewed by Law&Crime show that Soliday appeared in court Thursday for a preliminary arraignment and that he was held in the Allegheny County Jail without bail. Voigt appeared in court the same day and was issued a $150,000 bail, but he was unable to pay it, records show.
Samantha’s mother Nenita Kalkbrenner reportedly said Thursday that she is “glad that we finally have a start to prosecuting this case.”
“We’ve been waiting and praying for this. I know we’re going to get Justice,” the grieving mother said, according to WTAE.
As of Friday, a GoFundMe campaign started to help Samantha Kalkbrenner’s family has raised more than $56,000.
“Through Samantha’s many friends and supporters at Serra Catholic High School, efforts are underway to assist the family with all necessary costs related to her tragic passing that occurred suddenly on her way to school in September 20, 2023,” said a post on GoFundMe.
In September, Serra Catholic High School mourned the “tragedy” of Kalkbrenner’s death and urged everyone to pray for the other students who were hospitalized after the crash.
“As we move forward as a school community, let us pray for the life that was lost and for her family, friends and loved ones,” the school said.
Have a tip we should know? [email protected]
