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Noelia Gomez

Age : 18

Gender : Female

Race : Latino/a/e

Date : 08/27/2024

Location : West Main Street just west of North College Avenue

City : Newark

County : New Castle

State : Delaware

Agency : University of Delaware Police Department

Officer(s) :Not Disclosed

Cause of Death : Vehicle

Event : Pedestrian killed by motorcycle involved in police chase crash

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

On 08/27/2024, at approximately 11:53 p.m., Noelia Gomez, 18, was struck and killed by a motorcycle on West Main Street near the University of Delaware campus. Gomez, a first-year University of Delaware student from Clark, New Jersey, was walking in a marked crosswalk after completing her first day of college classes.
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Less than one minute before Gomez was struck, a University of Delaware police officer attempted to stop the motorcycle on East Main Street just west of South Chapel Street. Police described the initiating reason as traffic offenses but did not publicly specify the particular violation in the reporting located for this update.
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Police identified the motorcyclist as Brian Briddle, 27. According to investigators, Briddle continued driving away after the officer activated emergency lights and accelerated westbound on East Main Street. The University of Delaware officer did not pursue Briddle and turned off the emergency lights after Briddle accelerated away.
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Within approximately one minute of the attempted stop, Briddle's motorcycle struck Gomez while she was in the crosswalk on West Main Street. The collision threw Briddle from the motorcycle. The motorcycle continued onto the sidewalk, where it struck four additional pedestrians and a light pole. Bystanders attempted lifesaving measures on Gomez, but she died at the scene. One other pedestrian was hospitalized with injuries that were not considered life-threatening, while three others sustained minor injuries. Briddle was also hospitalized.
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Newark police arrested Briddle at his home on 08/29/2024. He was charged with second-degree murder, possession of a deadly weapon during the commission of a felony, disregarding a police officer's signal, operating a special vehicle without the required license, operating an unregistered motor vehicle and three counts of failing to stop at a red light.
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Gomez had recently graduated from Union Catholic Regional High School in Scotch Plains, New Jersey, and had begun her freshman year at the University of Delaware. She planned to study business and economics.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND
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The University of Delaware Police Department did not publicly identify the officer who attempted to stop Briddle immediately before the fatal crash.

SOURCE LINKS :

https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/university-of-delaware-student-killed-motorcycle-crash-newark/3954398/
https://patch.com/new-jersey/westfield/clark-woman-university-delaware-freshman-fatally-hit-motorcycle
https://www.fox29.com/news/motorcycle-driver-accused-fatally-striking-university-delaware-student-charged
https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/motorcycle-crash-university-of-delaware-student-noelia-gomez-brian-briddle-charged/3956153/
https://www.cbsnews.com/philadelphia/news/university-of-delaware-accident-crash-noelia-gomez-brian-briddle/
https://www.cbsnews.com/philadelphia/news/udel-student-killed-noelia-gomez/
https://www.udel.edu/udaily/2024/august/campus-resources-student-tragedy/