Teen Charged In I-95 Crash That Killed 'American Idol' Contestant

By Eric Keifer and Kara Seymour:

Authorities have charged an 18-year-old New Jersey female with homicide by vehicle in connection with an August crash in Bucks County that claimed the life of an aspiring singer.

The accident, which took place on I-95 south of the Yardley-Newtown Road exit around 7 p.m. on Aug. 2, claimed the life of Natasha Bellott, 20, of Bloomfield, N.J. Bellott was an aspiring singer who had just returned from a successful audition for American Idol in Philadelphia.

• See related article: Aspiring Singer Dies Right After Successful ‘American Idol’ Audition

Pennsylvania State Police released the following statement about the incident at the time:

“The crash allegedly occurred as [the driver] lost control of [the silver 2003 Jeep Liberty] after passing another vehicle, which was traveling north in the right lane, on the shoulder at a high rate of speed ... [The Jeep] traveled from the right northbound shoulder, across both northbound lanes and into the center grass median, where it rolled over several times. It was later determined that three of the six occupants had been ejected from the vehicle.”

In addition to Bellott, other injured passengers included a 19-year-old Montclair female, a 16-year-old female from Bloomfield, a 24-year-old male from Bloomfield and an 18-year-old male from East Orange.

A spokesman for the Vehicle Division for the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office told NorthJersey.com that the driver of the vehicle, LeAnn Manochio, who was 17-years-old at the time of the crash, is being tried as a juvenile.

Authorities have charged Manochio with homicide by vehicle, along with three counts of aggravated assault by vehicle, seven counts of reckless endangerment and a multiple traffic violations, NorthJersey.com reported.

Manochio offered a statement about the crash to The Belleville Times:

“It was an accident. I was not driving recklessly. My heart goes out to the family and friends, and I love Natasha as well.”