Family of teen killed by state trooper on I-95 marks anniversary of his death

It's been one year and a Delaware County family is continuing to search for answers in the shooting death of their teenage son.

Last year, 18-year-old Anthony Allegrini Jr. was shot and killed by a Pennsylvania state trooper during a car meet-up on Interstate 95 near Penn's Landing.

On Tuesday evening, on the anniversary of Anthony's death, his family and friends honored his life while demanding charges.

His name was on shirts that many in the crowd that night wore and on signs that they held.

In talking with NBC10, the young man's parents said they are dealing with a nightmare that won’t go away.

"The pain is still there. The sadness is still there. You don’t get better. You don’t get over it. It’s just another day of Hell," his father, Anthony Allegrini Sr., said.

The slain young man's parents, family and friends gathered in Essington while thinking about the morning hours of June 4, 2023.

Allegrini's parents said their son was at a car meet-up where, law enforcement officials have said drivers blocked traffic, did donuts and held drag races on the highway.

Police officials said the teen was shot after two state troopers went up to Allegrini's car as he was behind the wheel, and instead of stopping, he allegedly hit them.

His family filed a $50 million federal civil lawsuit. They claim that the state trooper Robert Sobeck Jr. murdered their son.

"Too hard, every day it just gets worse," his mom Jennifer Allegrini, the young man's mother, said.

The Allegrinis filed the suit for their late son, as well as for Giovanni Patete, Vincent Tribuiani and William Soper who were all in the vehicle with Allegrini on the night of the incident.

"This was a heinous act of murder. We’re continuing the battle with the civil rights case," Joseph Oxman, attorney for the family, said.

The federal lawsuit argues the trooper used excessive force when he shot Allegrini and police never tried to save the young man's life as he was bleeding on the ground.

His attorney claims the young man was not a danger to anyone that morning.

While listening to a song chosen by his mother, during Tuesday's gathering, it seemed difficult for his family to hold back tears. They remembered Allegrini as a happy-go-lucky kid who liked to joke around.

Those in attendance also demanded the truth along with accountability and charges for the officer who pulled the trigger in last year's incident.

State police officials tell NBC10 that, right now, there is no criminal case, and because of the lawsuit, they cannot comment on the case.

The night that Allegrini died

According to the lawsuit, the incident began at around 3:30 a.m. on Interstate 95 South at Chestnut Street in Philadelphia on June 4, 2023, after Allegrini was driving his car with Patete, Tribuiani and Soper.

The friends were part of a car meet up and, at some point, Allegrini then pulled his car over onto the shoulder of the highway joining several other cars, and the group got out of the vehicle to watch other cars on the northbound side of I-95 perform "tricks," the lawsuit notes.

As the men got back into the car, police officials have said, police arrived at the scene and a pair of state troopers drove their vehicle in front of Allegrini's car and got out on foot, according to investigators.

At that time, investigators claim, Allegrini allegedly failed to follow the troopers' instructions to yield and continued driving.

He then struck the two troopers with his car, law enforcement officials have said.

One of the troopers, Sobeck, pulled out his service weapon and opened fire, shooting through the car's front windshield and striking Allegrini in the chest once, police have said.

But, the lawsuit alleges that Sobeck climbed on top of Allegrini's vehicle before he fired his weapon.

Sobeck, the lawsuit claims, then shouted at the four men in the car telling them to get out of the vehicle.

Once they got out of the car, the trooper told them to get to the ground, and that's when, the lawsuit claims, Allegrini collapsed to the ground.

The suit accuses police officials on the scene of not providing medical attention to Allegrini at that time, despite him asking for help.

According to the lawsuit, Sobeck -- as well as other state troopers and police officers -- even prevented medics with the Philadelphia Fire Department from being able to attend to Allegrini as he bled from his gunshot wound.

Also, Patete, Tribuiani and Soper were illegally handcuffed, according to the suit.

Patete was let go, but Tribuiani and Soper were taken to State Police barracks where they were questioned and held for several hours before they were released, the lawsuit claims.

The two troopers who were struck suffered minor leg injuries, investigators have said. 

"Due to the continuing investigation and the pending status of the litigation, we cannot comment," a spokesperson for the Pennsylvania State Police said in a statement to NBC10.