Updated May 12, 2026 12 pm
The U.S. Marshals arrested a woman accused of driving drunk and the wrong way on I-476 in the Lehigh Valley in a crash that killed Bristol a motorcyclist last year.
On April 7, 2026, the Lehigh County District Attorney’s Office issued a warrant for Onanyeli Rosario-Mesa’s arrest. Rosario-Mesa failed to surrender and her case was delegated to the U.S. Marshals Task Force, officials said.
Investigators received an anonymous tip on Tuesday, May 5, saying Rosario-Mesa was hiding with her boyfriend at an apartment on the 2700 block of Stanwood Street in Northeast Philadelphia, officials said.
U.S. Marshals responded to the apartment on Wednesday, May 6, around 11 a.m. and arrested Rosario-Mesa, She was then transported to the Pennsylvania State Police Troop T, Pocono Barracks.
Rosario-Mesa, 25, is charged with homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence, homicide by vehicle, involuntary manslaughter, recklessly endangering another person, DUI, and other related offenses.
She has a May court date pending in Lehigh County.
Original Story
A little more than one year after a wrong-way driver struck and killed a Bristol motorcyclist on the Pennsylvania Turnpike charges have been filed and police are actively searching for the suspect.
25-year-old Onanyeli Rosario-Mesa of Allentown is charged with homicide by vehicle while DUI, involuntary manslaughter, reckless endangerment and related offenses in the killing of John Sweeney Jr, who was 50 at the time of his untimely death.
An arrest warrant was filed on April 1 for Rosario-Mesa but she remains at large, police say. Anyone with information about her is asked to call 911.
According to court records obtained by Lower Bucks Source, police say at around 9 a.m. March 30, 2025, Pennsylvania State Police were called to a three-vehicle crash on Interstate 476 northbound at mile marker 67.0 in Washington Township, in Lehigh County.
When officers arrived at the crash site Rosario-Mesa allegedly said “It’s all my fault, I was tired and falling asleep. I thought I bumped into something and then woke up.”
When she was asked if she had been drinking, she allegedly replied she “consumed two or three shots of tequila.”
Several witnesses had called 911 and said a vehicle driven by Rosario-Mesa was driving the wrong way in the northbound lanes when her vehicle hit several motorcyclists, according to authorities,
The witnesses, as well as video surveillance footage, showed Rosario-Mesa’s vehicle driving southbound in the northbound lanes, passing several vehicles that pulled to the side of the road to avoid her, police said in court papers.
Officers say there were two damaged motorcycles at the scene. One driver, identified as 50-year-old John Sweeney Jr., was pronounced dead at the scene. Sweeney died from blunt force injuries due to motorcycle/motor vehicle crash and his death was ruled accidental by the Lehigh County Coroner.
Police “… did a blood test that came back that included blood alcohol content above the legal limit for driving that occurred at the time of the crash,” court records show.
A blood draw at the hospital allegedly showed a 0.104% BAC, which would place Rosario-Mesa over the legal limit.
Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin Holihan told 69 News why it took more than a year to charge Rosario-Mesa, saying the length of time it took in this case is not unusual.
‘We like to take a lot more time to make sure it’s complete, make sure it’s accurate, and that we have a full picture of what happened, including the videos, the reconstruction from the roadway evidence, as well as the digital evidence preserved on the cell phones,’ he told the Lehigh County based media outlet.
On Rosario-Mesa’s cell phone, investigators found a text she allegedly sent about 90 -minutes before the fatal crash that read, “I hate alcohol I be talking too much nonsense.”
Sweeney was on an early Sunday morning ride, with his son and other motorcycle enthusiasts, when struck and killed by Rosario-Mesa. During the warm weather months, “riders” often go on leisurely rides as form of connection with other motorcycle enthusiasts and relaxation.
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