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Driver charged in head-on crash that killed 3 in South Philadelphia

Published  January 4, 2019 3:59pm EST
U.S.
FOX 29 Philadelphia

SOUTH PHILADELPHIA (WTXF) - The driver involved in a crash that left three people dead and another critically injured in South Philadelphia on Wednesday is now facing charges.

Keith Campbell, 29, has been charged with three counts of homicide by vehicle along with other related charges. Sources tell FOX 29's Jeff Cole more charges could be filed.

"There was no one else in the vehicle, so supposition is he stabbed himself," Philadelphia Police Captain Mark Overwise said.

Police say Campbell was suffering from multiple stab wounds as he drove down the 600 block of Packer Avenue just before 2 a.m. Wednesday morning when he struck an Acura SUV head on.

Three of the Acura's four passengers -- identified as 36-year-old Joseph Ferry of South Philadelphia, 35-year-old Kelly Wiseley of Glenolden, and 31-year-old Dennis Palandro of Morton -- were killed. Ferry and Wiseley just got engaged over the holidays.

The SUV's lone survivor is Nicole Palandro. She is listed in critical condition with a broken pelvis.

MORE: Mummers among 3 killed in South Philadelphia crash; stabbed driver faces charges

Campbell was transported to Jefferson University Hospital with 15-20 stab wounds to the chest and abdomen. Authorities later found a bloody knife with a 10-inch blade inside his vehicle and what a top police investigator called a "rambling note" in the vehicle.

Police believe Campbell's stab wounds were self-inflicted. He remains hospitalized in critical condition.

Police say the Newport Police Department attempted to stop a white Audi on Delaware State Route 4 westbound for erratic driving around 1 a.m. Jan. 2. According to police, the vehicle did not stop and continued west on Route 4.

Members of the Delaware State Police Troop 6 joined the pursuit to give assistance. Police say about five minutes into the pursuit, on I-95 northbound in the area of the Christiana Mall, the fleeing vehicle's driver became too reckless to continue and endangered the safety of other vehicles.The Newport Police Department and Delaware State Police Troop 6 discontinued the pursuit as the vehicle continued north on I-95.

Later that morning, the Newport Police Department was notified that a fatal collision occurred in Philadelphia and the vehicle they were pursuing was involved. They are assisting the Philadelphia Police Department with their investigation.