Stephen Andrew Yuhasz leaves the office of District Judge Gary Whiteman following a preliminary hearing Wednesday morning. Yuhasz was ordered to stand trial for homicide by vehicle and several other counts related to a July 2024 crash that claimed the life of Kathleen McFadden, of Montoursville.

A Berks County teen will stand trial for causing a crash that resulted in the death of a Montoursville woman last summer, following a preliminary hearing before District Judge Gary Whiteman Wednesday morning.

Stephen Andrew Yuhasz, 18, of Reading, faces charges of homicide by vehicle and other offenses for the July 6 crash that claimed the life of Kathleen McFadden, 65, along Route 87 in Upper Fairfield Township.

McFadden was a passenger in a 2014 Chevrolet Cruze driven by her husband, Mark McFadden, 69, just two miles from their home.

As the couple was headed north along Route 87, a 2011 Jeep Grand-Cherokee traveling southbound, driven by Yuhasz and occupied by his girlfriend, Sarah Anderson, 19, entered the McFadden’s lane of traffic, as he attempted to pass the vehicle in front of him, according to state trooper Jacob Sukal, a collision reconstructionist who testified at the hearing.

Yuhasz swerved to the left towards the eastern shoulder in an attempt to avoid the collision as McFadden swerved to the right, and was struck by the jeep, the trooper said.

The collision sent the McFaddens’ Cruze spinning clockwise 90 degrees before coming to rest in the northbound lane of Route 87, facing east.

The Jeep deflected off the McFaddens’ car and exited the roadway, traveling down an embankment, rotating 210 degrees and striking a concrete drainage pipe, causing it to overturn and go airborne, after which it struck a tree and slid back onto its tires, Sukal testified.

Interviewed at UPMC Williamsport, Yuhasz stated that he was behind a vehicle traveling five to 10 miles under the speed limit and wanted to pass it, according to state trooper Lance Klingler, who interviewed Anderson and McFadden at the hospital.

Yuhasz stated that he was traveling between 60 and 65 mph at the time of the crash, and admitted to seeing McFadden’s Chevrolet in the oncoming lane before attempting to pass the vehicle in front of him.

He stated that he believed he had time to pass it before realizing that the vehicle was traveling “at a high rate of speed,” Klingler testified.

However, data from the respective vehicles’ airbag control modules, indicated that McFadden was traveling between 49 and 54 mph just prior to the crash, while Yuhasz’s speed was estimated to be between 76 and 83 mph just seconds before the crash, Sukal told the judge.

The speed limit in the area of the crash is 55 mph, both troopers testified.

Kathleen McFadden was killed instantly due to blunt force trauma, while Mark McFadden sustained serious injuries.

Yuhasz and his passenger received only minor injuries.

“Due to the grossly negligent actions of Yuhasz that led to the fatal motor vehicle collision,” Lycoming County District Attorney Tom Marino approved of charging Yuhasz as an adult, despite his being 17 at the time of the crash, an affidavit said.

In addition to the homicide charge, Whiteman bound over two counts of aggravated assault by vehicle, three counts of recklessly endangering another person, and one count each of reckless driving, careless driving, passing on the left in an unsafe manner, failing to use a seatbelt and speeding.

Unknown at this time is if Yuhasz will face a count of murder in the third degree.

“This was nothing more than a traffic accident,” defense attorney Robert Hoffa said in arguing for the charge to be dropped.

Yuhasz was a 17-year-old who did what he thought was best in trying to avoid colliding with the McFaddens, he said.

The acceleration shown by the module was Yuhasz’s attempt to pass the vehicle when he realized McFadden’s vehicle was traveling faster than he thought, Hoffa argued, calling the incident “unfortunate.”

“We agree that the incident unfortunately involves a 17-year-old, but regardless, someone died,” Assistant District Attorney Phoebe Yates countered.

Yuhasz showed the malice needed for a charge of murder in the third degree when he saw the McFaddens’ vehicle and continued to merge anyway.

“He saw the risk, took the risk and continued towards the risk,” Yates told the judge.

“I’m not sure how much more reckless you can get than to travel between 70 and 80 miles an hour in a 55 mph zone, see a vehicle oncoming and try to pass the vehicle in front of you anyway,” she stressed.

Whiteman is expected to issue his ruling on the murder charge late this week or early next week.