DUI driver sentenced for Hilltown crash that stole firefighter’s life
In a Bucks County courtroom, packed beyond capacity, Colin John Wahlers, 26, was sentenced today to three to six years in state prison for the drunken, high-speed crash that killed his passenger, former volunteer firefighter Joseph Kay, 35.
Wahlers, of Perkasie, entered an open guilty plea to homicide by vehicle while DUI, fleeing and eluding police and related charges. The sentence, handed down by Common Pleas Judge Jeffrey L. Finley, included a concurrent sentence of 6 years of probation and an order that Wahlers is ineligible for any early release programs, recognizing the devastating cost of his actions.
The tragic events of June 2, 2024, began when Wahlers, heavily intoxicated, fled from a Hilltown Township police officer. Driving an unregistered utility vehicle, he sped onto Green Street, reaching speeds of over 65 miles per hour in a 40-mph zone before losing control and flipping the vehicle near Rickert Road.
Joseph Kay, a dedicated former volunteer firefighter with the Plumsteadville Fire Company, was ejected and killed instantly from blunt force trauma. Wahlers, who survived with minor injuries, was found to have a blood-alcohol content of 0.195 percent, more than twice the legal limit.
