‘Unimaginable loss’ | Parents, son killed in Christmas Day crash in Pennsylvania
TOM COSTELLO, NBC NEWS, WASHINGTON. RIGHT NOW ON NEWS EIGHT. TODAY, A WINTRY MIX EXPECTED ACROSS THE SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY. TODAY, WE’LL TELL YOU HOW PENNDOT IS GETTING READY. I’M TRACKING SNOW, SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN THIS AFTERNOON. AND THIS EVENING I’LL TALK ABOUT TIMING AND THE IMPACTS YOU CAN EXPECT. PEACE BETWEEN RUSSIA AND UKRAINE IS ON THE MINDS OF MANY THIS CHRISTMAS. I’M RACHEL HIRSCHHEIMER IN WASHINGTON WITH THE EFFORT BY THE U.S. OVERNIGHT TO STOP THE FIGHTING. AND WE’RE TAKING A LIVE LOOK OVER OUR HERSHEY SKY CAM ON THIS FRIDAY DAY AFTER CHRISTMAS. HOPEFULLY EVERYBODY IS FEELING ALL OF THE LOVE AND FEELING GREAT THIS MORNING. AND I’M HERE WITH MARYELLEN PANN BECAUSE TODAY IS AN ALERT DAY AND A LOT TO TALK ABOUT. TONIGHT. THERE’S A WINTRY MIX HAPPENING. MAYBE A LOT OF FOLKS HEADING HOME AFTER SEEING FAMILY. SO A LOT GOING ON TODAY. HOW IS IT PANNING OUT AS FAR AS THIS MORNING AND AFTERNOON? IT’S QUIET. YOU NOTICE THOSE FLAGS IN THE HERSHEY SKY CAM NOT MOVING. IT’S CALM. WE HAD CLEAR SKIES LAST NIGHT THANKS TO HIGH PRESSURE IN CONTROL THAT ALLOWED TEMPERATURES TO DROP INTO THE MID AND UPPER 20S THIS MORNING. SO IT IS A COLD START. SO AS THIS PRECIPITATION COMES IN WE’LL SEE IT STARTING AS SNOW AND SLEET. NOW WE DO HAVE A FEW FLURRIES OUT THERE. NOTHING IMPACTFUL AT THIS HOUR. SO IT SHOULD BE A QUIET COMMUTE. FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT HAVE TO HEAD BACK TO WORK, OR YOU’RE GETTING A HEAD START ON YOUR TRAVELS, IT SHOULD BE FINE. AS I ZOOM OUT, LOW PRESSURE IS STILL TO OUR NORTHWEST THAT WILL DIVE THROUGH THE OHIO VALLEY AND TO OUR SOUTH. BUT IT’S THAT SYSTEM THAT’S GOING TO BRING US SNOW, SLEET, AND FREEZING RAIN. SO HERE’S A LOOK AT YOUR 12 HOUR FORECAST. ALERT PERIOD STARTS AT 1 P.M., AND YOU CAN EXPECT THAT TO MOVE IN FROM WEST TO EAST AFTER 1 P.M. UNTIL FOR THE WORST PART OF THIS IS GOING TO BE THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS. TEMPERATURES WILL TRY TO GET TO 32 DEGREES, BUT SHOULD STAY AT OR BELOW. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY GOES INTO EFFECT THIS AFTERNOON UNTIL SATURDAY MORNING ACROSS THE ENTIRE AREA. AND HERE’S WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT FOR THIS ALERT DAY. WINTRY MIX OF SNOW AND SLEET INITIALLY WILL DEVELOP WEST TO EAST, AND THEN SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN WILL CONTINUE AND END. TONIGHT. COULD SEE A COATING TO ABOUT AN INCH. SOME ISOLATED A LITTLE HIGHER THAN THAT FREEZING RAIN, A 10TH OF AN INCH OR LESS. OF COURSE, SOME POWER OUTAGES, DOWNED TREES AND BRANCHES, AND HAZARDOUS TRAVEL DEFINITELY IS A POSSIBILITY, SO TRY TO AVOID TRAVELING THIS EVENING AND I’LL HAVE MORE ON THE TIMING WITH A LOOK AT PREDICTOR PLUS THE REST OF THE WEEK. A LOOK AT THE WEEKEND FORECAST COMING UP. SOUNDS GOOD, MARY ELLEN. AND IF YOU ARE HEADING OUT RIGHT NOW, IT’S A GOOD TIME TO DO THAT. AT 603 ACROSS THE SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY. NO ISSUES THAT I’M SEEING AND NO CRASHES OR INCIDENTS TO SLOW YOU DOWN. LET’S TAKE A PEEK OVER ROUTE 15, MOUNTAIN ROAD AND HARRISBURG STREET THERE IN YORK COUNTY. LOOKING GOOD. AND ALSO MANHEIM TOWNSHIP ROUTE TWO, 83 AND 30. THE INTERCHANGE THERE LOOKING GREAT. NOW, IF YOU ARE TRAVELING OUT OF LANCASTER TO HARRISBURG, 31 MINUTE DRIVE. SAME STORY GOES IF YOU’RE HEADED TO LEBANON, LANCASTER TO YORK, THAT’S A 24 MINUTE DRIVE. WE’LL HAVE ANOTHER UPDATE FOR YOU IN A LITTLE BIT. WE ARE FOLLOWING BREAKING NEWS OUT OF YORK, WHERE FIREFIGHTERS SAY THEY’VE PUT OUT A HOUSE FIRE ON EDISON STREET. FIREFIGHTERS SAY THEY WERE CALLED TO THE SCENE AROUND 345 THIS MORNING, AND PUT IT OUT IN ABOUT 30 MINUTES. FIRE CREWS ON SCENE TOLD A NEWS EIGHT CREW THAT TWO PEOPLE WERE RESCUED FROM THE HOUSE. FIREFIGHTERS SAY THOSE TWO PEOPLE WERE TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL BUT ARE EXPECTED TO BE OKAY. THE PPL FOUNDATION HAS GIVEN 300,000 IN GRANT MONEY FOR STUDENTS ACROSS THE SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY. THE ENERGIZING EDUCATION GRANT GIVES SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES MONEY FOR STEM AND READING PROGRAMS, AND ALSO COLLEGE PREP PROGRAMS. 14 PROGRAMS ACROSS DAUPHIN, CUMBERLAND, YORK, LANCASTER AND LEBANON COUNTIES RECEIVE THAT GRANT MONEY FROM THE FOUNDATION. APPLICATIONS FOR THIS GRANT OPEN AGAIN IN FEBRUARY AND CAN BE FOUND ON PPL CARES.COM. NEW THIS MORNING, A LANCASTER CITY MAN IS NOW SET TO SPEND 8 TO 20 YEARS IN PRISON FOR THREATENING A SECURITY GUARD AT A BAR, THE LANCASTER COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S OFFICE SAYS DEVIN GARCIA ROGERS PLED GUILTY EARLIER THIS MONTH TO GUN CHARGES, AS WELL AS CHARGES OF ASSAULT AND TERRORISTIC THREATS. INVESTIGATORS SAY IN NOVEMBER OF 2024, GARCIA ROGERS WAS REMOVED FROM A BAR IN EAST HEMPFIELD TOWNSHIP AND THEN RETURNED MINUTES LATER WITH A GUN AND POINTED IT AT A SECURITY GUARD. ALSO, NEW NORTHERN LANCASTER COUNTY REGIONAL POLICE SAY THEY ARRESTED A MAN FOR STRANGLING A PERSON ON CHRISTMAS EVE. POLICE SAY 32 YEAR OLD JERRY COLON STRANGLED A PERSON AT A HOME ON CHURCH STREET IN WARWICK TOWNSHIP JUST AFTER TWO WEDNESDAY MORNING. OFFICERS SAY COLON IS NOW FACING STRANGULATION AND ASSAULT CHARGES. TURNING NOW TO DAUPHIN COUNTY, LOWER SWATARA TOWNSHIP POLICE SAY THEY HAVE ARRESTED A WOMAN FOR HAVING CRACK COCAINE. POLICE SAY JAMAL FORD WAS ARRESTED DURING A TRAFFIC STOP ON TUESDAY, SAYING SHE HAD A PROBATION WARRANT FOR AGGRAVATED ASSAULT OUT OF PHILADELPHIA COUNTY. OFFICERS SAY SHE WAS A PASSENGER IN THE VEHICLE. THEY STOPPED AND SAY SHE WAS ARRESTED AFTER THEY FOUND THAT SHE HAD COCAINE. IT’S 605 AND WITH WINTER WEATHER COMING THROUGH OUR AREA TONIGHT, A BIG CONCERN FOR PEOPLE HEADING OUT IS THE ROADS AND HOW THEY’RE GOING TO LOOK TONIGHT. NEWS EIGHT’S JACOB HUNZIKER JOINS US LIVE NOW FROM MANCHESTER TOWNSHIP, YORK COUNTY, WITH HOW PENNDOT IS WORKING TO KEEP THINGS RUNNING SMOOTH AND SAFE. GOOD MORNING JACOB. GOOD MORNING REGINA. WE’RE CURRENTLY LIVE AT ONE OF THOSE SALT SHEDS HERE IN MANCHESTER TOWNSHIP, YORK COUNTY, WHERE AGAIN, AS WE TALKED ABOUT IN OUR LAST HOUR, THINGS STILL REMAIN RELATIVELY QUIET THIS MORNING. WE HAVEN’T SEEN ANY OF THOSE PENNDOT TRUCKS GO OUT AS OF YET THIS MORNING. THAT IS TO BE EXPECTED GIVEN THAT WINTER WEATHER ISN’T EXPECTED TO COME THROUGH THE SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY UNTIL THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING. BUT WE DO KNOW THAT THOUSANDS OF DRIVERS ARE GOING TO BE HITTING THE ROADWAYS TODAY AS THEY HEAD HOME FROM THEIR HOLIDAY PLANS AND TRAVELS WITH FAMILY FOR THE CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY. AND AS A RESULT OF THAT, MOST OF THEM ARE CONCERNED ABOUT WHAT THOSE ROADWAYS ARE GOING TO LOOK LIKE AS THAT WINTER WEATHER COMES THROUGH OUR REGION. LIKE I SAID LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND INTO THIS EVENING, PENNDOT TELLS ME THAT THEIR CREWS HAVE BEEN PREPARING FOR THIS FOR SEVERAL DAYS NOW. HARD AT WORK AS EARLY AS CHRISTMAS EVE. THAT’S WHEN THEY STARTED PRETREATING THE ROADWAYS. THE TOUGH PART ABOUT TONIGHT’S STORM FOR THEM IS THAT IT’S GOING TO BE POTENTIALLY SNOW AND ICE, WHICH IS HARDER TO PREPARE FOR. THE ICE IN PARTICULAR CAN BE TROUBLESOME FOR CREWS AND FOR DRIVERS, WHICH REQUIRES A SPECIAL RESPONSE TO MAKE SURE THE THE ROADWAYS ARE DRIVABLE. IT KEEPS, HOPEFULLY, THAT ICE FROM FORMING A BOND TO THE ROAD, SO THAT BY THE TIME THEY GET BACK AROUND, WHICH CAN BE 2 TO 3 HOURS UNTIL THEY GET BACK AROUND TO THE SAME SPOT, HOPEFULLY THEY CAN PLOW OFF WHATEVER KIND OF FROZEN PRECIPITATION THERE IS ON THE GROUND AT THAT POINT, SHREFFLER TELLS ME THAT CREWS WILL BE OUT THROUGHOUT THE DAY TODAY, CONTINUING TO MONITOR THE SITUATION AS THINGS PROGRESS INTO THOSE EVENING HOURS. WHEN THAT WINTER WEATHER DOES BEGIN TO ARRIVE. PENNDOT ADDS THAT THERE WILL BE SOME VEHICLE RESTRICTIONS ON THE ROADWAYS AS TO WHICH CARS ARE ALLOWED VERSUS NOT ALLOWED. THOSE EXACT BREAKDOWNS AND DETAILS CAN BE FOUND ON THE PA 511 WEBSITE. WE’RE LIVE IN MANCHESTER TOWNSHIP, YORK COUNTY THIS MORNING. JACOB HUNZIKER FOR WGAL NEWS EIGHT. THANK YOU, JACOB FOR THAT REPORT AND TO STAY WEATHER AWARE, TRACK THE ROAD CONDITIONS AND UP TO THE MINUTE FORECAST AHEAD OF TODAY’S WINTRY WEATHER ARRIVAL. MAKE SURE YOU DOWNLOAD THE WGAL APP OR GO TO OUR WEBSITE WGAL.COM. NEARLY FOUR YEARS SINCE THE START OF WAR, RUSSIA AND UKRAINE ARE STILL FIGHTING, AND THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION WORKED THROUGH THE HOLIDAY WITH UKRAINE’S PRESIDENT ON PEACE TALKS. NEWS EIGHT’S RACHEL HIRSCHHEIMER REPORTS FROM WASHINGTON WITH WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT THOSE DISCUSSIONS, UKRAINE’S PRESIDENT VOLODYMYR ZELENSKY CONFIRMED THAT HE DID SPEAK WITH U.S. REPRESENTATIVES ON CHRISTMAS DAY ABOUT A POSSIBLE PEACE PROPOSAL. THIS ALL COMES AFTER RUSSIA LAUNCHED A DEADLY ATTACK. ZELENSKYY SAID IN A VIDEO MESSAGE HE HAD A GOOD CONVERSATION WITH U.S. SPECIAL ENVOY STEVE WITKOFF AND PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP’S SON IN LAW, JARED KUSHNER. THEY DRAFTED NEW IDEAS ABOUT HOW TO BRING ABOUT REAL PEACE. THIS COMES AFTER RUSSIA FIRED MORE THAN 600 DRONES AND THREE DOZEN MISSILES AT UKRAINE EARLIER THIS WEEK, KILLING AT LEAST THREE PEOPLE, INCLUDING A FOUR YEAR OLD CHILD. THIS MORNING, WE’RE ALSO GETTING A FIRST LOOK AT THE DAMAGE THAT COLLAPSED HOMES AND KNOCKED OUT THE POWER GRID IN 13 REGIONS OF UKRAINE, CAUSING WIDESPREAD OUTAGES AND BITTER COLD TEMPERATURES. IN ROME, POPE LEO THE 14TH DELIVERED HIS FIRST CHRISTMAS MESSAGE AS PONTIFF, CONDEMNING THE VIOLENCE AND PRAYING FOR THE FIGHTING TO END. LEADERS IN UKRAINE WILL CONTINUE TO SPEAK WITH REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE U.S. TODAY, AND ZELENSKY ALSO CONFIRMED THIS MORNING THAT UKRAINE AGREED TO A MEETING WITH PRESIDENT TRUMP IN THE NEAR FUTURE. IN WASHINGTON. RACHEL HIRSCHHEIMER WGAL NEWS 8. THANK YOU, RACHEL. WE’RE GETTING A LOOK AT NEW VIDEO THIS MORNING SHOWING A U.S. MISSILE LAUNCH IN CHRISTMAS DAY STRIKE AGAINST NIGERIA. THE PENTAGON CONFIRMED THE LAUNCH. PRESIDENT TRUMP SAYS WAS AGAINST ISIS IN NORTHWEST NIGERIA. IT’S UNCLEAR HOW MANY PEOPLE WERE KILLED, BUT INITIAL ASSESSMENTS REPORT MULTIPLE DEATHS IN ISIS CAMPS. A U.S. NAVAL CARGO SHIP WAS SEEN DOCKING IN PUERTO RICO WEDNESDAY AS THE U.S. CONTINUES A MASSIVE MILITARY BUILDUP IN THE CARIBBEAN. THE U.S. HAS ASSEMBLED A MASSIVE MILITARY FORCE IN THE CARIBBEAN, INCLUDING AN AIRCRAFT CARRIER, FIGHTER JETS, AND OTHER WARSHIPS. THE U.S. HAS RAMPED UP MILITARY PRESENCE IN THE REGION, AND MORE THAN TWO DOZEN MILITARY STRIKES ON VESSELS IN THE PACIFIC OCEAN AND CARIBBEAN SEA NEAR VENEZUELA, WHICH HAVE KILLED AT LEAST 100 PEOPLE. LAST WEEK, PRESIDENT TRUMP ANNOUNCED HIS ADMINISTRATION WAS ORDERING A BLOCKADE OF ALL SANCTIONED OIL TANKERS INTO VENEZUELA. LET’S TURN NOW TO MARY ELLEN. ALL RIGHT. WE HAVE A STORM SYSTEM COMING IN LATER TODAY THAT WILL BRING US SNOW AND SLEET INITIALLY, AND THEN A PERIOD OF SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN, WHICH WILL CAUSE SOME ICY TRAVEL CONDITIONS. THIS IS GOING TO BE MAINLY A SLEET STORM FOR US. I’LL HAVE THE DETAILS ON TIMING AND HOW LONG IT WILL BE WITH US IN MY FULL FORECAST. AND WE’RE TAKING A PEEK RIGHT NOW ACROSS THE SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY RIGHT NOW. AND EARLY THIS AFTERNOON WOULD BE THE BEST TIME TO TRAVEL OUT IF YOU’RE HEADING HOME TODAY. BUT OF COURSE, MARY ELLEN WILL TALK MORE ABOUT THAT.
‘Unimaginable loss’ | Parents, son killed in Christmas Day crash in Pennsylvania
Updated: 3:25 PM EST Dec 26, 2025
Two parents and their son were killed in a Christmas Day crash in Central Pennsylvania and another family member was critically injured.Video above: Headlines from WGAL News 8 Today.Pennsylvania State Police said the crash happened around 2 p.m. Thursday on North Eagle Valley Road near Swartz Hollow Road in Howard Township, Centre County, when a 2009 Pontiac G6 collided head-on with a 2012 Nissan Pathfinder.”Evidence at the scene indicates both vehicles crossed the center line resulting in a head-on collision,” a statement from PSP said. “The driver and two passengers of the Pontiac succumbed to their injuries.”PSP said two other passengers in the Pontiac were flown from the scene. The driver of the Nissan was also transported for “unknown injuries.”No names have been released. State police asked anyone who may have witnessed the crash to contact PSP Rockview barracks at 814-355-7545.‘Profound sadness,’ school district releases statementThe Keystone Central School District released a statement saying the juvenile who was killed was a student in the district. “This devastating incident resulted in the loss of one of our students and his parents. His sister, who attends KCSD, sustained life-threatening injuries and remains in critical care,” the statement said. “Our hearts are broken for this family. On behalf of the Keystone Central School District, we extend our deepest condolences to everyone grieving this unimaginable loss.”
HOWARD TOWNSHIP, Pa. —
Two parents and their son were killed in a Christmas Day crash in Central Pennsylvania and another family member was critically injured.
Video above: Headlines from WGAL News 8 Today.
Pennsylvania State Police said the crash happened around 2 p.m. Thursday on North Eagle Valley Road near Swartz Hollow Road in Howard Township, Centre County, when a 2009 Pontiac G6 collided head-on with a 2012 Nissan Pathfinder.
“Evidence at the scene indicates both vehicles crossed the center line resulting in a head-on collision,” a statement from PSP said. “The driver and two passengers of the Pontiac succumbed to their injuries.”
PSP said two other passengers in the Pontiac were flown from the scene. The driver of the Nissan was also transported for “unknown injuries.”
No names have been released.
State police asked anyone who may have witnessed the crash to contact PSP Rockview barracks at 814-355-7545.
‘Profound sadness,’ school district releases statement
The Keystone Central School District released a statement saying the juvenile who was killed was a student in the district.
“This devastating incident resulted in the loss of one of our students and his parents. His sister, who attends KCSD, sustained life-threatening injuries and remains in critical care,” the statement said. “Our hearts are broken for this family. On behalf of the Keystone Central School District, we extend our deepest condolences to everyone grieving this unimaginable loss.”