A Bethlehem man will spend several years in prison for a crashing into and seriously injuring a woman standing next to a parked vehicle last summer.
Leroy Mendez, 38, was sentenced to eight years and eight months to 19 years in prison for the DUI crash that happened July 19, 2025, in the city’s South Side, Northampton County District Attorney Stephen Baratta said.
Mendez’s vehicle hit a woman who was standing near a parked vehicle about 1:30 a.m. on East Fourth Street, the DA said. The woman, 24, was thrown in the air and landed on the street, and she suffered numerous serious injuries, including a traumatic brain injury. Two other parked vehicles also were damaged.
Investigators viewed surveillance footage that showed Mendez’s vehicle hit the women, then a parked car, before fleeing. The vehicle was found later that morning. Police spoke to Mendez and found out that he filed an insurance claim that morning, claiming that a vehicle sideswiped his car, according to the DA’s office. While speaking to officers, Mendez showed obvious signs of impairment.
A blood draw showed he had a blood-alcohol concentration of .126% hours after the crash, and that he likely had a BAC of between .17% and .27%, more than double the legal driving limit of .08%. Mendez told police he had been drinking at a nearby bar to celebrate his birthday.
At the time of the incident, Mendez was listed in court documents as living less than a mile from where the crash happened.
Mendez was found guilty in April on 12 charges, including aggravated assault while DUI.