Crime & Safety
DUI Driver Hit Pedestrian, Nazareth Police Say
Natasha Romanishan, 22, of Lower Nazareth Township, was allegedly under the influence of multiple controlled substances when she crashed her car in Nazareth on Dec. 1.
A Lower Nazareth Township woman was under the influence of multiple controlled substances when her she lost control of her vehicle and struck a pedestrian and a parked car, according to Nazareth police.
A 55-year-old Bethlehem man, identified in court records as John E. Bishop, was severely injured in the Dec. 1 crash and was airlifted to a hospital, according to a press release issued later that day.
Natasha Romanishan, 22, of the 400 block of Nazareth Pike, was arraigned Tuesday in front of District Judge John Capobianco. She was charged with aggravated assault by vehicle while DUI, driving under the influence of a controlled substance, recklessly endangering another person, careless driving, reckless driving and operating a vehicle without financial responsibility.
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Less than a month before the crash, in early November, Romanishan and a Tatamy man were charged with trying to steal 78 pieces of jewelry and two articles of clothing with a total value of about $1,200 from Boscov’s in Palmer Park Mall.
According to a police criminal complaint:
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On Dec. 1 around 6:37 a.m., Romanishan told police she was driving her 1998 Buick Riviera Coupe down S. Main Street in Nazareth when “she attempted to maneuver around debris in the roadway and could not turn the steering wheel back."
Officer Ben Rizzotto, who was dispatched to the scene on the 400 block of S. Main, found Bishop lying on the ground behind a silver vehicle parked on the northbound side of the road. The force of the impact forced the rear of the vehicle onto the sidewalk.
When Rizzotto reached Romanishan, court records say, he noted slurred speech and bloodshot eyes. Romanishan did not, however, smell of alcohol.
Romanishan was transported to St. Luke’s Anderson for treatment of injuries sustained in the crash and for a legal blood draw.
The blood test revealed the presence of “a combination of controlled substances,” court records say.
Romanishan remains in Northampton County Prison in lieu of 10 percent of $5,000 bail.
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