{"id":161518,"date":"2026-04-09T15:36:19","date_gmt":"2026-04-09T15:36:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/161518\/"},"modified":"2026-04-09T15:36:19","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T15:36:19","slug":"nj-man-charged-in-crash-that-killed-1-on-i-78-in-northampton-county-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/161518\/","title":{"rendered":"NJ man charged in crash that killed 1 on I-78 in Northampton County"},"content":{"rendered":"

A New Jersey man was asleep at the wheel seconds before he crashed his truck into a man trying to push an SUV on Interstate 78 in Northampton County last year<\/a>, killing him, according to authorities.<\/p>\n

Goce Josifoski, 52, of Fords, was arraigned Monday on charges alleging he was responsible for causing the June 16 crash that killed Tyler Kolaja, 33, of Hamburg.<\/p>\n

Josifoski is charged with a felony of homicide by vehicle, and misdemeanors of involuntary manslaughter and recklessly endangering another person, as well as several summary traffic violations. He remains free on $50,000 unsecured bail.<\/p>\n

His attorney John Waldron said his accident reconstructionist indicates Josifoski had normal reaction times, and that road conditions were rainy.<\/p>\n

\u201cAn individual pushing a vehicle in the right lane under these conditions creates a hazard,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Kolaja was behind his SUV, pushing it after it stalled on I-78 near mile 74 in Glendon, when Josifoski hit him, killing him and damaging the car, as well as a vehicle disabled on the shoulder next to it, state police said in charging documents.<\/p>\n

Kolaja and his girlfriend were in the SUV when it ran out of gas. He had a can with some gas in his SUV, and he used that to refuel the vehicle. The SUV started again, but stalled once they got back on the road. He got out of the vehicle to push it back onto the side of the road before the crash happened, according to court documents.<\/p>\n

Dashcam footage from Josifoski\u2019s tractor-trailer showed a vehicle moved into the left lane to avoid Kolaja and his vehicle, and Josifoski nearly hits the vehicle that moved out of the way, police said. Josifoski\u2019s tractor-trailer then swerved into the right lane and hit Kolaja and his SUV, court documents state. Josifoski\u2019s vehicle then drove to the left and off the road, into the grassy median, before stopping, police said.<\/p>\n

Another view from the footage shows the inside of his tractor-trailer, court documents state. At the beginning of the video, Josifoski eyes are closed and he \u201cappeared to be asleep,\u201d police wrote in charging documents. He appeared to be awakened by the brake lights of the vehicle in front of him, according to authorities. Within two seconds of waking up, he hit Kolaja, police said.<\/p>\n

Kolaja died from multiple blunt-force injuries, with the manner accidental, according to the Northampton County coroner\u2019s office.<\/p>\n

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