In a Bucks County courtroom, packed beyond capacity, Colin John Wahlers, 26, was sentenced today to three to six years in state prison for the drunken, high-speed crash that killed his passenger, former volunteer firefighter Joseph Kay, 35.

Wahlers, of Perkasie, entered an open guilty plea to homicide by vehicle while DUI, fleeing and eluding police and related charges. The sentence, handed down by Common Pleas Judge Jeffrey L. Finley, included a concurrent sentence of 6 years of probation and an order that Wahlers is ineligible for any early release programs, recognizing the devastating cost of his actions.

The tragic events of June 2, 2024, began when Wahlers, heavily intoxicated, fled from a Hilltown Township police officer. Driving an unregistered utility vehicle, he sped onto Green Street, reaching speeds of over 65 miles per hour in a 40-mph zone before losing control and flipping the vehicle near Rickert Road.

Joseph Kay, a dedicated former volunteer firefighter with the Plumsteadville Fire Company, was ejected and killed instantly from blunt force trauma. Wahlers, who survived with minor injuries, was found to have a blood-alcohol content of 0.195 percent, more than twice the legal limit.

During the sentencing hearing, Assistant District Attorney Andrew Bukowski introduced wrenching dashcam and body cam footage. The video captured Officer Kevin Godfrey pursuing a fleeing Polaris Ranger side-by-side vehicle, which loses control and flips at Greet Street and Rickert Road, partially ejecting both occupants. After the crash, Officer Godfrey renders medical aid to the dying victim, the video showed.

While the officer worked frantically, Wahlers callously remarked, “Hell of a way to end a Saturday night,” the video captured.

Before the sentence was passed, the courtroom was reduced to tears as Kay’s family delivered emotional victim impact statements. Kay’s mother, three sisters, and his wife spoke of a profound, life-altering loss, asking the court for the maximum possible sentence.

“Joey was my pride, my joy, my purpose. Joey was what made my heart beat,” his mother told the court, her voice thick with pain. “In an instant his life was stolen, and it was stolen by a drunk driver.”

ADA Bukowski read a letter from Kay’s father, who condemned Wahlers’ conduct as “a selfish, reckless, irreversible choice.” Though Wahlers offered a statement apologizing to the victim's family and friends, the damage was irreversible.

In handing down the sentence, Judge Finley addressed the profound nature of the crime and its ripple effect through the community.

“It is clear to me that the impact on the victim and family - his wife, his parents, his siblings, his friends, the community - is devastating,” Judge Finley stated.

The Bucks County District Attorney’s Office extends its deepest sympathies to the family, friends, and colleagues of Joseph Kay.

The case was investigated by the Hilltown and Plumstead Township Police Departments and the Bucks County District Attorney's Office Homicide by Vehicle Unit and prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Andrew Bukowski.

Media Contact: Manuel Gamiz Jr., 215.348.6298, mgamiz@buckscounty.org