Man Sentenced For Fatal Bucks Co. Crash That Killed Friend

A New Jersey man has been sentenced for a fatal crash on I-95 that happened as he was fleeing from police in April 2017. Arthur A. Lewis, 24, will serve six and one-half to 20 years in prison for killing a close friend by driving recklessly and crashing, officials with the Bucks County District Attorney's office announced.

Lewis had pleaded guilty to third-degree murder in the death of Javairia Mahmood, 22, also of Trenton.

Prosecutors said Lewis was fleeing from state police on northbound I-95 — going over 100 miles per hour — when his Acura hit a concrete barrier at the Bristol exit. The car overturned, killing Mahmood, who was wearing a seat belt in the front passenger seat.

State Police Trooper Gerald Gronski began chasing Lewis’ vehicle when it passed the Academy Road exit in Philadelphia at a high speed. The Acura reached an estimated speed of 95 mph before it pulled to the shoulder, as if it were stopping, before getting back on the roadway and driving away at a higher speed, prosecutors said.

Four bundles of heroin were found in a pocket in Lewis’ jacket, authorities said.

Image of Arthur Lewis, via Bucks DA

Mahmood was the youngest of seven children and was killed two nights before the her older sister's wedding.

“I buried my sister on the day I was supposed to get married. I have yet to unpack the emotional trauma that has caused,” Misbah Mahmood told Fritsch. “…She was my baby sister, my hype woman, the person who always said positive things to me. Javairia always saw the best in everyone, even though they were not able to see it in themselves.”

Lewis told the judge that his crime “was just a disastrous mistake that I regret.”

Image of Javairia Mahmood via Bucks Co DA's office