Police arrest New Kensington woman who crashed car while fleeing with child
A woman crashed her car into a house while fleeing from police early Thursday in New Kensington, police said in a criminal complaint.
Her young son was in the back seat of the car, which caught fire after the crash. The boy, whose age was not given, suffered a bloody nose and was taken to UPMC Presbyterian hospital in Pittsburgh with minor injuries, police said.
After the crash, the boy’s mother, Tyra Terelle Nat Carter, 29, of New Kensington, was taken to Allegheny Valley Hospital in Harrison.
Carter’s driver’s license was suspended, and she was wanted on a warrant from the Westmoreland County Sheriff’s Office, police said. Marijuana was found in a cigarette pack in her purse, police said in the complaint.
According to court records, the warrant was issued in January after Carter did not appear for a hearing stemming from a May 8, 2023, crash when her license also was suspended or revoked.
The incident Thursday began about 1 a.m. when a New Kensington officer on patrol on Freeport Road saw a car run a stop sign, the criminal complaint states. The driver later was identified as Carter.
As the officer was trying to make a traffic stop, he saw the car run a red light at Freeport and Locust streets, after which its lights were turned off.
Carter made a left turn at high speed from Freeport Road onto North Street, where she crashed into a house in the 900 block of North Street after striking another vehicle across the street from the house, according to the complaint.
The car briefly caught fire, but police were able to put it out, the complaint said.
Police charged Carter with a felony count of child endangerment, misdemeanor charges of fleeing or attempting to elude police, recklessly endangering another person and possession of marijuana, along with several summary traffic offenses.
Carter was arraigned Thursday before New Kensington District Judge Frank J. Pallone Jr., who released her on a $20,000 unsecured bond. Her preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 30.
Brian C. Rittmeyer is a TribLive reporter covering news in New Kensington, Arnold and Plum. A Pittsburgh native and graduate of Penn State University's Schreyer Honors College, Brian has been with the Trib since December 2000. He can be reached at brittmeyer@triblive.com.
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