Boy Hit by SUV and Killed while Trick-or-Treating is Identified

A 14-year-old boy who apparently had been trick-or-treating was hit and killed by an SUV Friday night on Schantz Road in Upper Macungie.

Jordan Steinmetz, of Lisa Court, Upper Macungie, was pronounced dead at 11:45 p.m. at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest, according to the Lehigh County Coroner's Office. 

Berks-Lehigh Regional Police said the boy was in costume, walking west on Schantz Road with another boy, when he was struck by an SUV also traveling west on Schantz Road, according to a preliminary investigation.

The accident happened at 8:20 p.m. in the area of Balsam Street and Cottonwood Road. The coroner's office said the accident happened in front of 6429 Schantz Road.

The driver of the SUV has not been identified.

The boy was presumed to have been trick-or-treating. He was taken from the scene by ambulance to Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest, where he later died.

Coroner Scott Grim said Steinmetz died from multiple blunt force injuries. He ruled the manner of death as accident.

The boy's grandfather, Albert Albino, told the Express-Times that Steinmetz liked to play video games and that he was considered fun-loving by family and friends. Steinmetz was about a 10-minute walk away from home when he was struck, the report said.

Upper Macungie had moved Trick or Treat night to Oct. 31 then moved it back to Oct. 26 following parents' complaints. Children were trick or treating from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday.

The Berks-Lehigh Regional Police Department and the Lehigh County Coroner's Office are investigating. Anyone who witnessed this accident is asked to contact police headquarters at 610-683-8740. 

This is the second pedestrian fatality in Lehigh County in recent months. A Dorney Park worker was hit and killed near Interstate 78 in September.

Check back with Upper Macungie Patch for updates.