A 19-year-old Mount Penn man was killed Wednesday evening in a single-vehicle crash on Skyline Drive in Alsace Township, according to Pennsylvania State Police and the Berks County Coroner’s Office.
Zechariah S. Johnson was pronounced dead at 7:30 p.m. by Deputy Coroner Hannah Cutshaw following the crash, which occurred around 6:30 p.m. along Skyline Drive west of Bingaman Road.
According to a Pennsylvania State Police public release report, Johnson had been driving a 2006 Ford Escape northbound when he attempted to drift around a right-hand curve. The vehicle left the roadway, struck a tree, rotated, and came to rest facing west. Major damage was reported to the front and driver’s side of the vehicle.
Johnson was ejected from the vehicle and was deceased upon the arrival of first responders.
Two passengers were also in the vehicle. A 16-year-old female from Mount Penn sustained suspected serious injuries and was transported by EMS to Reading Hospital. The second passenger, a 22-year-old male from Reading, sustained suspected minor injuries and was also taken to Reading Hospital by Muhlenberg Area Ambulance.
State police said one of the passengers had to be extricated from the vehicle. The crash scene was processed with assistance from Troop L’s Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Specialist (CARS) unit and the Forensic Services Unit (FSU). The vehicle was towed from the scene.
No autopsy is planned, according to the Coroner’s Office. Johnson’s next of kin have been notified.