LANCASTER – A Lebanon County delivery driver charged with killing a pedestrian and seriously injuring two others as he drove while watching his cellphone will have his case proceed to Lancaster County Court. 31-year-old Joshua Rittle of Jackson Township waived his preliminary hearing on homicide by vehicle, aggravated assault by vehicle, recklessly endangering another person, and six summary traffic offenses. Rittle is accused of striking the pedestrians with his delivery van in the 5800 block of Old Philadelphia Pike in Salisbury Township in February 2025. Police believe Rittle was distracted by his cellphone when his van drifted onto the shoulder and struck the victims, who were riding on scooters and wearing traffic safety vests. One victim, 31-year-old Emanuel Blank died at an area hospital as a result of his injuries. Two other victims, both of whom were Blank’s sons, suffered serious injuries, but survived. Data downloaded from Rittle’s cellphone indicated that he was watching YouTube at the time of the crash. Rittle is currently free on $150,000 bail.
