Crime and Courts

Suspected DUI driver faces homicide by vehicle charges in I-95 wrong way wreck

Thaduba Turay, 21, was killed when her car was struck head-on by a driver headed southbound in the northbound lanes of I-95 in South Philly early Sunday, April 14, 2024

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A man faces homicide by vehicle and DUI charges in the wrong way wreck along the northbound lanes on I-95 in South Philadelphia last weekend. The charges came as the family of the young woman killed remembered her life.

David Bonilla, 44, is accused of causing the April 14, 2024, crash that killed a 21-year-old woman identified by family and friends as Thaduba Turay.

Pennsylvania State Police said the deadly crash happened around 2:40 a.m. Sunday when a vehicle traveling southbound in the northbound lanes of I-95 -- between the exits for the Walt Whitman Bridge and Columbus Boulevard in South Philly -- struck Turay's northbound vehicle head-on.

Police said the man who was driving in the wrong direction is believed to have been under the influence of alcohol at the time of the crash. He was taken to a nearby hospital, where officials said he was treated for injuries sustained in the crash.

Bonilla, who is from Philadelphia, was arraigned Tuesday evening on homicide by vehicle, involuntary manslaughter, DUI, reckless endangerment and other charges. He was jailed on $750,000 bail.

Online court records don't list an attorney who could comment on Bonilla's behalf.

Turay was an older sister to three and a student at Cheyney University pursuing a nursing career, according to a fundraising page in her memory.

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