Inset left: Charles Edward Wright (Philadelphia Police Department). Inset right: Veronica Herling (Jason Lloyd Funeral Home). Background: Herling”s shoe after the crash (WPVI/YouTube).
A shocking incident in Pennsylvania has led to serious charges against a man accused of hitting a woman with such force using his SUV that she was propelled 20 feet into the air, losing her shoes and jewelry in the process.
Charles Edward Wright, 37, is now facing an array of charges, including murder, vehicular homicide, involuntary manslaughter, and reckless endangerment, following the tragic events of November 1, 2024. According to court documents accessed by Law&Crime, these charges stem from the fatal crash that claimed the life of 43-year-old Veronica Herling.
The Philadelphia Police Department confirmed the hit-and-run as fatal in a statement released the following month, where they officially identified Herling as the victim.
In the early hours of that November morning, around 2:15 a.m., a black Nissan Murano was traveling along Levick Street in Philadelphia when it struck Herling. As part of their investigation, authorities distributed a blurry image of the suspect, describing him as a “Black male with a beard/mustache.”
Investigators, according to local ABC station WPVI, reported that Herling was crossing the street when she was hit by Wright’s vehicle. The impact was so severe that it knocked her sneakers and some of her jewelry off, propelling her approximately 20 feet into the air and causing her to land nearly a block away.
Tragically, Herling was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident.
The suspect in the hit-and-run on the 4800 block of Levick Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Nov. 1, 2024 (Philadelphia Police Department).
Police said the vehicle was last seen traveling south on Torresdale Avenue after turning from Levick Street. The Murano had a “temporary VA state paper tag,” officers added.
A neighbor told the Philadelphia-based outlet that drivers come off the Tacony-Palmyra Bridge about a mile away, where the speed limit is 40 mph, and “don’t slow down” as the limit changes to 25 mph.
“They keep going straight and they fly,” Chanalle Allison told WPVI. “Probably like 10 cars in one year got smacked right there at the same spot.”
Wright had a preliminary arraignment on Wednesday, and he is scheduled to reappear in court for a preliminary hearing on March 23.
