Driver Charged in Crash that Killed 2 Pa. State Troopers

March 22, 2022
A 21-year-old woman faces third-degree murder and DUI-related charges stemming from the crash that claimed the lives of Pennsylvania State Police Troopers Branden Sisca and Martin Mack III.

PHILADELPHIA—Pennsylvania State Troopers on Tuesday announced the arrest of the 21-year-old driver who authorities say fatally struck and killed two state troopers and a civilian on I-95 early Monday.

State police have charged Jayana Tanae Webb, of Eagleville, with three counts of third-degree murder, homicide by vehicle, and a battery of DUI-related charges for her role in the three deaths, state police said.

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The crash happened after Troopers Martin F. Mack III and Branden Sisca were dispatched to assist a man walking on the highway near Lincoln Financial Field around 12:45 a.m. Monday, officials said.

As Mack and Sisca were attempting to detain the man, Webb attempted to pass the parked state police SUV in the shoulder lane while driving at a high speed, fatally striking all three men.

In a release Tuesday, state police identified the deceased civilian as Reyes Rivera Oliveras, 28, of Allentown.

The impact of the crash threw the victims over the median, and witnesses attempted to perform CPR until police backup arrived. All three were pronounced dead on the scene. Webb stopped her vehicle in the shoulder nearby and remained on scene, officials said.

It was not immediately clear in court records if Webb had retained an attorney.

State police did not offer comment beyond the initial charges. In a statement, District Attorney Larry Krasner called the deaths “tragedies” and commended state police on the swift investigation.

“I again extend my deepest condolences to the colleagues and loved ones of Troopers Mack and Sisca, as well as Mr. Oliveras,” Krasner said. “My office will now seek to ensure this defendant is held accountable for her alleged actions that resulted in this senseless loss of life.”

Siska and Mack were assigned to Troop K — the division that patrols Philadelphia, Montgomery and Delaware counties — where state police make more than 1,000 DUI arrests each year, according to state data.

Fatalities of state troopers in DUI incidents are rare. State police report that 24 officers, including Mack and Sisca, have died in auto-related incidents in the agency’s history.

Webb graduated from Norristown Area High School in 2018, where she wrote for the student newspaper and ran track, according to her social media profiles. Court records do not list any major criminal offenses, although Webb has been cited over several minor traffic violations and then abandonment of a motor vehicle in 2020.

More recently, social media shows Webb marketing a variety of services online, from cosmetics to photography.

But on her public social media pages, in addition to promoting her small business, Webb gleefully posted dozens of times about partying, getting drunk, or engaging in other risky behavior, like speeding and drunken driving.

“If you ask me, I’m the best drunk driver ever,” Webb wrote, in January, two months before she collided with Mack, Sisca and Oliveras, killing all three.

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©2022 The Philadelphia Inquirer, LLC.

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Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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