What to Know
- U.S. Marshals arrested Aaron Sims in West Philadelphia Monday after he spent nearly a year on the run for his alleged role in a deadly January 2020 crash on the Vine Street Expressway.
- Chole Robertson, a 21-year-old college student, was killed in the overnight crash.
- Authorities say Sims was intoxicated, driving recklessly and speeding at the time of the deadly crash.
U.S. Marshals on Monday arrested a driver suspected of being intoxicated when authorities allege he slammed into a car parked on the shoulder of Center City Philadelphia's Vine Street Expressway in January 2020, killing a college student and injuring two others.
The wreck took place shortly after 1 a.m. on Jan. 25, 2020, when an Acura sedan slammed into the back of a Hyundai Elantra near 8th Street on I-676 eastbound, Pennsylvania State Police said.
The wreck left Chole Robertson, who was visiting Philadelphia, dead. Two other people were hurt.
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Robertson, an Orlando, Florida, area resident and West Virginia student, was just 21 years old when she died "as a result of a car accident caused by a drunk driver," according to her obituary.
Aaron Sims, of Camden, New Jersey, was behind the wheel of the Acura, and driving recklessly and speeding before the wreck, police said. He was wasn't injured in the crash and was taken into custody on suspicion of driving under the influence.
Toxicology reports later showed THC in Sims' system and that his blood-alcohol limit was twice the legal limit, the U.S. Marshals Eastern Pennsylvania Violent Crimes Fugitive Task Force said in a news release Monday.
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Sims, now 27, had spent nearly one year on the run after his arrest warrant was issued on June 30, 2020, charging him with homicide by vehicle, DUI, aggravated assault by vehicle, involuntary manslaughter and other counts, according to authorities.
On Monday, marshals caught up to him in West Philadelphia, marshals said. He was arrested without incident after a traffic stop.
“No parent should ever endure the loss of a child," Eric Gartner, U.S. Marshal for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, said. "We thank the public for assisting us in the apprehension of Aaron Sims. We hope the Robertson family can now have some semblance of closure after Chloe’s tragic loss.”
Online court records don't list an attorney who could comment on Sims' behalf.
