ALLENTOWN, Pa. – Two longtime members of the Walnuttown Fire Company were killed Saturday evening when a vehicle struck them headon as they assisted in the search for a missing woman in Richmond Township.
Authorities said Fire Chief Jeffory Buck and Assistant Chief Robert Shick Jr. were riding in a sidebyside utility vehicle on Kutztown Road when a Toyota Camry hit them. Both men, who had been with the department since their teenage years, were taken to area hospitals and later pronounced dead.
Lt. Ryan Tyson of the Walnuttown Fire Company said he was the first to arrive at the crash scene around 6 p.m.
“To be honest, panic,” Tyson said of his initial reaction. “We’re accustomed to going to calls where we most of the time don’t know the occupants, the involved parties.”
Tyson said he immediately recognized the severity of the crash. “I knew when I first arrived on location that it was pretty substantial,” he said. He added that he spoke to the two chiefs before they were taken from the scene. “I said some words to them. I believe that they knew I was there.”
On Sunday evening, first responders from across the Lehigh Valley took part in a procession from Reading Hospital to the Lehigh County coroner’s office. Tyson said the public’s support along the route was deeply moving.
“They were parked alongside the road, there was people out just paying respects to two people that they never met but they understood that they paid the ultimate sacrifice,” he said.
Fleetwood police identified the driver of the Camry as 26yearold Alexander SepulvedaRivera of New York. Polive said he and a passenger fled the scene but were found nearby. According to the Berks County district attorney, SepulvedaRivera is expected to be charged with vehicular homicide and driving while under the influence. He is currently being held on an outstanding warrant.
Tyson said the department is now focused on supporting its members. “Not something that you’re ever prepared for but my main focus is making sure that my members going forward are in a good space,” he said. “We all take care of each other and the biggest thing is the legacy that those two chiefs are gonna leave behind.”
Autopsies are scheduled for Monday at the Lehigh County coroner’s office. The Walnuttown Fire Company will remain out of service until next Saturday, with neighboring agencies handling calls in the meantime.
Tyson said one positive note emerged from the tragedy: first responders continued searching for the missing woman, who was found safe Saturday night.
Copyright © 2026 WPVI-TV. All Rights Reserved.