Bensalem police make arrest in 2023 hit and run that killed teen
A 35-year-old Trevose man has been charged in a 2023 hit-and-run accident that killed 14-year-old boy following a six-month police investigation.
Bensalem police allege that James Shulski, of Lower Southampton, was driving a Honda Accord west on Street Road just before the Route 1 overpass around 10:15 p.m. when he swerved out of the left travel lane to avoid two teens in the lane.
The Accord narrowly missed one 14-year-old boy, but it struck Harlem Dennis who dove toward the center lane as the vehicle approached them, according to an affidavit of probable cause.
Another car then also struck Harlem as he was lying in the road. The boy with Harlem was not injured police said.
The force of the impact left Harlem's shoes, socks and other personal items strewn throughout the center lane, the affidavit said.
Both cars initially stopped, but after two minutes Shulski allegedly got back into his car and drove away before police arrived. He was last seen driving down Street Road toward the Lower Southampton area.
The Philadelphia Medical Examiner determined Harlem died of blunt trauma to the head and chest.
The boy and his mother were long-term residents of the nearby Red Roof Inn motel, police said.
Investigators found surveillance video showing a gray Honda Accord traveling westbound on Street Road just prior to the crash. The vehicle was then tracked backward using surveillance cameras.
A license plate reader captured the Accord's registration number before the crash, police said.
A week after the accident, Bensalem police went to the home where the Accord was registered they found it parked outside with damage consistent with striking a pedestrian, police said.
Police spoke to the vehicle owner, Shulski's father, who told them that his son, James, who also lived at the home, most likely had the vehicle the night of the accident, the affidavit said. Police attempted to speak with Shulski, but he refused to answer questions.
Authorities obtained a search warrant and seized the Accord and obtained a search warrant for Shulski's cellphone records, which placed his phone near the accident scene around the time of the incident, police said. DNA recovered from the vehicle steering wheel matched a sample from Shulski taken in January.
On Tuesday, Shulski was arraigned on a felony charge of accidents involving death or personal injury and duty to give information and render aid, which is a summary. He is free after posting 10% of $100,000 bail.
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This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Bensalem police make arrest in fatal 2023 hit and run case
