First responders and law enforcement in Lackawanna County have a warning after a crash left one person dead and another charged with homicide by DUI.

MOSCOW, Pa. — Just before midnight on February 27th, members of the Covington Independent Fire Company responded to a head-on crash blocking Interstate 380 near Moscow. 

“Any time you have that type of incident, you know it’s elevated, it’s not just a normal crash, but especially when it’s on the interstate,” Fire Chief Brad Jones remembers seeing debris scattered across the highway.

A police investigation discovered Mark Castillo of Throop began driving north in the southbound lanes before crashing into another car carrying four people inside.

Three escaped with injuries, but 24-year-old Darrel Ambrose Jr. of Tobyhanna was killed.

Days later, Castillo was charged by the Lackawanna County District Attorney’s Office with homicide by D.U.I.

“Unfortunately, you know, the four that were involved in the accident were just innocent bystanders. They were doing the right thing, driving down the highway with, you know, no regard for something that bad was about to happen, and unfortunately, someone made a decision that affected the lives of multiple people,” adds Chief Jones. 

According to court paperwork, on the night of the crash, Castillo was driving on a suspended license after a previous D.U.I. charge.

Over the last 10 years, troopers say he had 3 prior DUI convictions.

In 2025, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court updated a law that, when a DUI is committed after completing an accelerated rehabilitative disposition (ARD) for a prior DUI charge, it can now be treated as a repeat offense, bringing steeper penalties and increased supervision.

“This was a significant call, and I mean that not in a positive way, but this was pretty gruesome. So to have to take that home to our families, the troopers have to take it home to their families, and that just snowballs and ripples onto others,” says Chief Jones. 

Seeing the worst of these easy-to-avoid wrecks, Chief Jones advises drivers to think twice before getting behind the wheel, “You know, the decision that that individual made impacted so many people, it’s tough to, you know, to get out there when all this could have been avoidable, right? None of this had to happen.” 

Lackawanna County District Attorney Brian Gallagher says charges may be upgraded following this fatal wreck.

He says those who choose to put others at risk will be arrested and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.