Shibin Sony, 17, died in car accident in Holmesburg, police say

A 17-year-old Northeast High School student who went to the movies with friends on Friday night was killed in a hit-and-run car crash in Holmesburg, police and a relative of the teenager said. Five other people were also injured in the accident, two of them seriously.

The accident occurred shortly after 9 p.m., police said, when a driver of a Nissan SUV attempted to turn left onto Ashburner Street on State Road but collided with a Honda traveling in the opposite direction on State Road.

The Honda, which police said was traveling “at high speed,” then crashed into another car, a Ford Escape, and a power pole, which pierced the Honda.

Three people were in the Honda, police said, including 17-year-old Shibin Sony, a passenger who was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the Honda and another passenger were taken by paramedics to Jefferson Torresdale Hospital in “extremely critical condition,” police said. Authorities did not provide information on the age and gender of the two people.

Three people in the Ford Escape were also taken to hospital in stable condition, police said. Police also did not provide any information on the age or gender of the people in the car.

The Nissan SUV had since been driven away from the scene of the accident before police arrived, police said. It was unclear how many people were in the car or where it was going.

Sony’s aunt, Sheena Jose, said Sony was a student at Northeast High School who immigrated here from India with his family in 2015. Jose, the youngest of three brothers, said Sony was “such a kind and sweet kid.”

Jose said Sony told his father on Friday night that he was going to the movies with friends, but his brothers became worried when he didn’t come home later that evening. They contacted police on Saturday morning and learned that Sony was a victim of the car crash, Jose said.

“Our community is in shock,” Jose said.

Police said the investigation into the accident was still ongoing.