5 Killed in Heidelberg Township Crash Identified

Update: The Lehigh County Coroner's Office has identified the fifth person killed in Thursday's accident in Heidelberg Township as Zach Alai, 17, of South River, N.J.

An Orefield man and a Schnecksville man were among five people killed when a car and a tow truck collided Thursday in Heidelberg Township, state police said. 

State police at Bethlehem said the dead included Nicholas A. Gustafson, 22, of Orefield, Charles P. Oswald, 58, of Schnecksville, Michael A. Bruno, 23, of Catawissa and Cecilia R. Besecker, 22, of Dallas, Pa. The fifth accident victim has been identified by the Lehigh County Coroner's Office as Zach Alai, 17, of South River, N.J. 

Gustafson was reportedly driving a car north on Bake Oven Road at 2:36 p.m. Thursday when he failed to negotiate a stop sign at Mountain Road, police said. His car collided with a tow truck traveling west on Mountain Road that was driven by Oswald.

Gustafson and his passengers, Bruno, Besecker and Alai, were pronounced dead at the scene, police said. Oswald was also pronounced dead at the scene. A passenger in Oswald's car, Walter D. Fries II, 50, of Northampton, was taken to Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest for treatment.

The National Transportation Safety Board was notified because of the number of people killed in the accident.