Drunken Blue Bell Woman Hit Pedestrians in Whitemarsh, Police Say

A Blue Bell woman is facing charges including DUI, aggravated assault while DUI, and failure to render aid after allegedly striking pedestrians in the Fort Washington section of Whitemarsh Township in the early-morning hours Saturday, according to Whitemarsh Police.

Heather Dowdy, 36, of Ramsgate Court in Blue Bell, was arrested after authorities located her white 2012 Nissan Altima that allegedly crashed into five men near the 300 block of West Skippack Pike and then fled the scene, according to police.

At 2:04 a.m., five men were standing next to a red Buick on the westbound shoulder of Skippack Pike that was disabled from a previous crash, police said.

A witness said that a white vehicle traveling westbound struck the five pedestrians and continued on Skippack Pike, almost striking another vehicle while fleeing, according to WPD.

Whitemarsh Community Ambulance Association transported four of the pedestrians to Chestnut Hill Hospital for treatment of injuries after the crash; one pedestrian declined treatment, police said.

Whitpain Police located a vehicle matching the Whitemarsh PD’s description roughly 1.5 miles away from the crash scene. The vehicle, registered to Dowdy and parked in her driveway, had fresh passenger side damage and minimal snow on it, according to police.

Dowdy was home when police arrived, and they took her into custody at 2:46 a.m. for suspicion of DUI, five counts of aggravated assault by vehicle while DUI, eight counts of recklessly endangering another person, failure to stop and render aid and several other charges, according to police.

Bail was set at $10,000 and was posted the following day. A preliminary hearing date is set for Feb. 19 in front of District Justice Deborah Lukens.