Community Corner
Bryn Mawr Hit-and-Run Driver Arrested, Police Say
According to Lower Merion Police, a Havertown resident hit a mother and her two children on Lancaster Avenue in April.
Lower Merion Police have arrested the man they believe was the driver in the April 25 hit-and-run that injured a Bryn Mawr mother and her 5-year-old twins.
Stephen John Groch, 27, a resident of the 90 block of Ellis Road in Havertown, was charged on Wednesday after Lower Merion Police used cellphone records to tie him to the accident, according to township public information officer Tom Walsh. Groch was charged with three felony charges of accident involving death or physical injury and three additional misdemeanors.
On April 25 at 1:30 p.m., a 46-year-old Bryn Mawr woman and her 5-year-old twins were hit by a black Ford F-150 pickup truck as they crossed the intersection of Lancaster and Bryn Mawr avenues. According to police, the truck did not stop after the impact, continuing westbound on Lancaster Avenue.
Find out what's happening in Bryn Mawr-Gladwynefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The three victims were taken to Bryn Mawr Hospital. According to Lower Merion Police, one of the children sustained a skull fracture and additional fractures to the left hip and pelvis. The girl was transferred to the Nemours/Alfred I.duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, Delaware due to the severity of her injuries, but has since been released.
According to police, roughly two hours after the accident, a black Ford F-150 pickup truck was seen parked in the parking lot of Bryn Mawr College's West House on Wyndon Avenue—about a half mile north of the crash scene. According to police, the vehicle was found with its front wheels turned all the way to the left and the headlights still on.
Find out what's happening in Bryn Mawr-Gladwynefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
At this point, Lower Merion Police say they contacted Groch, who said that the Ford must have been stolen.
The truck was then impounded, police say, and search warrants were acquired for Groch's cell phone records and the vehicle itself. Police say a search of the truck produced no evidence indicating it had been stolen, while the cellphone records suggested Groch was in the vicinity of the crash at the time of the accident.
Based on this information, Groch was charged on Wednesday.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.