Mt. Pleasant man to serve 3 to 6 years for fatal hit-and-run crash

A Mt. Pleasant man was sentenced Monday to serve up to six years in prison for a hit-and-run crash last year that resulted in the death of an elderly Hempfield man.

Jonathan A. McElroy, 43, pleaded guilty to charges of causing an accident involving death, tampering with evidence, making false statements to police and theft in connection with the April 19, 2019, crash in front of DeGennaro’s Restaurant and Lounge on Broad Street in South Greensburg in which 86-year-old Clarence Wolff was hit by a vehicle. Wolff died several weeks later from his injuries, police said.

McElroy, according to police, hit Wolff and drove off without providing help to the injured man. A plastic side mirror cap was found at the scene by investigators. McElroy was identified as the driver several days later after police found his damaged vehicle in a parking lot of an East Huntingdon car dealership.

McElroy worked as a salesman at Crivelli Chevrolet when someone at the dealership alerted police to a vehicle that matched a description of the one identified in the hit-and-run. Police found damage to the hood and bumper of the vehicle, which McElroy owned.

According to court records, McElroy initially lied when questioned about the damage and claimed it occurred as he and another man fell on top of the car’s hood during a fight. Police said McElroy later admitted to stealing a side mirror from the dealership to repair the damage to his own vehicle and confessed to his role in the fatal crash.

In court on Monday, McElroy apologized for his actions.

“There was an accident and I panicked. I apologize for my lack of integrity,” McElroy said.

Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Tim Krieger ordered McElroy serve three-to-six years in prison.

Wolff’s family, who did not appear in court on Monday, consented to the plea bargain and sentence, according to Assistant District Attorney Allen Powanda.