One dead and 17 injured after car plows into crowd at Pennsylvania event

One person died and another 17 people were injured when a car plowed into a crowd gathered at a Pennsylvania bar Saturday evening for a fundraiser benefiting families devastated by a house fire that killed 10 earlier this month, according to authorities.

The driver was arrested shortly afterward in connection with the beating death of his mother nearby, police added.

The crash occurred at about 6.15pm outside the Intoxicology Department bar in Berwick, which had been scheduled to hold an all-day fundraising event to benefit victims of a 5 August blaze that killed seven adults and three children in Nescopeck.

Pennsylvania state police identified the driver as 24-year-old Adrian Oswaldo Sura Reyes of Nescopeck. He was arraigned early Sunday morning on two counts of criminal homicide.

Troopers said they arrived to find that Sura Reyes had been arrested by local police in connection with a woman who was dead at the scene.

Seven other patients had been treated and released.

Petroski said that officials have not been able to confirm yet whether the crash was intentional.

The first funerals for victims of the fire were held Friday, and more were scheduled for Sunday and Monday. The fundraiser was meant to help the loved ones of those killed by the fire cover funeral expenses, among other things.