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<p>HANOVER TWP. &#8212; A Nanticoke man charged with initiating a vehicle pursuit with state police that ended in a deadly crash was charged Tuesday with vehicular homicide.</p><p>Luzerne County Assistant District Attorney Jill Sosnoski added homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence against Jose Crespo Mendez, 21, prior to a preliminary hearing before District Judge Joseph Halesey.</p><p>The vehicular homicide charge was filed after Gerald Mosley, 72, of Bear Creek, died a week after the May 24 crash on East Main Street in Wilkes-Barre.</p><p>State police said they attempted to stop Mendez for driving a 2004 Acura with a broken rear bumper, a broken rear window covered with plastic and an inoperable taillight while traveling north on Interstate 81 in Hanover Township.</p><p>Mendez allegedly weaved in and out of traffic passing vehicles in the berm reaching speeds of 100 mph, court records say.</p><p>Mendez avoided stop sticks that were deployed by another trooper and turned onto Route 115 toward Bear Creek. He turned around nearly colliding with a dump truck and turned onto East Mountain Boulevard in Plains Township.</p><p>State police allege Mendez turned onto Jumper Road and passed through a red traffic signal a Route 315 and continued onto East Main Street where he struck Mosleys&#8217; vehicle, court records say.</p><p>The license plate on Mendez&#8217;s Acura was registered to a Cadillac owned by a woman in Hanover Township.</p><p>Mosley died June 1 at Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center.</p><p>Mendez told troopers he fled because he was scared and admitted he was a little high for smoking a bud laced with cocaine, court records say.</p><p>Mosley, through his attorney Attorney Thomas Cometa, waived charges of homicide by vehicle while DUI, fleeing or attempting to elude police and reckless endangerment to county court. He remains jailed for lack of $50,000 bail.</p><p>Sosnoski withdrew aggravated assault, accidents involving death, simple assault and several traffic and vehicle citations against Mendez.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Jose Crespo Mendez leaves District Judge Joseph Halesey&#8217;s office in Hanover Township on Tuesday. Ed Lewis | Times Leader </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/web1_Jose-Crespo-Mendez-07232019.jpg</photo0><caption0>Jose Crespo Mendez leaves District Judge Joseph Halesey&#8217;s office in Hanover Township on Tuesday. Ed Lewis | Times Leader </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Ed Lewis</p><p>elewis@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div>

Vehicular homicide charge filed against Nanticoke man