Chesco Woman, 21, Charged In Fatal Norristown Hit And Run: DA

NORRISTOWN, PA — A 21-year-old Chester County woman has been arrested after police said she struck a man with her Jeep in Norristown and fled from the scene, leaving him dead.

Alexa Laffkas, 21, of Uwchlan Township faces charges of leaving the scene of an accident and related counts in connection with the incident.

The crash occurred at around 4:03 a.m. on May 27 on Main Street near the intersection with Markley Street. According to interviews with witnesses in an affidavit of probable cause, Laffkas had been out at the bars in Conshohocken and then at a friend's house in East Norriton. She'd had about four beers throughout the night, according to the document.

Police said that Clinton Rucker, 64, was walking across the street as the traffic signal for incoming traffic turned yellow.

Laffkas drove through the yellow light at around 40 miles per hour - the speed limit there is 25 - and that's when she struck Rucker, authorities said.

Laffkas said that at first she thought she had hit a deer but wasn't certain, according to the affidavit of probable cause. One of Laffkas' passengers thought she might have hit the median. Later, when Laffkas looked at her vehicle and did not discover any fur in it, she became "frantic" that she may have hit someone, the affidavit states.

Her friends, who had also been drinking, assured her that she hadn't hit anyone, according to the affidavit.

Surveillance video from a nearby BP gas station shows a vehicle matching Laffkas' Jeep striking Rucker as he crosses the road, police said.

Laffkas reported the incident to police at 6:40 a.m., the affidavit states.

No bail was set and Laffkas was released on her own recognizance. A preliminary hearing is set for June 28.

Image via Montgomery County District Attorney's Office