A Chester County man who pleaded guilty to his role in a deadly 2023 street race was sentenced this week to two days in prison, one year under house arrest, and seven years probation as part of a negotiated plea deal, according to the Lancaster County District Attorney’s Office.
Brandon Gentile, 21, pled guilty on Wednesday to homicide by car, illegal possession of a firearm, marijuana possession, and 12 other counts as part of the plea agreement.
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Prosecutors said Gentile’s home arrest will involve two months of intensive supervision.
Gentile was charged by Manheim Township Police following an investigation into a June 4, 2023, crash involving a motorcycle and two SUVs on Route 30 near the Harrisburg Pike exit.
The inquiry concluded that Gentile and 22-year-old Thomas Hartenstine were racing on the highway when Hartenstine’s Suzuki GSX-R1000 motorcycle collided with a Subaru Outback, which collided with a Subaru WRX.
Lancaster County District Attorney Heather Adams said her office reached the plea agreement after working with Hartenstine’s family, who wanted to avoid a trial.
“This case is factually unique given that the defendant’s responsibility for the victim’s fatality comes from his actions leading up to the collision between the victim and a third car,” Adams said. “Here, the defendant did not strike the victim, rather the victim lost control of his motorcycle while racing and struck a third party. Both were racing on the highways at dangerous speeds.”
Gentile, who was driving a white Subaru, initially stated that he was not involved in the race and was only driving along Route 30 when he noticed Hartenstine’s motorcycle approaching and sought to get out of the way. According to authorities, eyewitness testimony and surveillance camera footage contradicted his allegations.
The video film from cameras along Route 30 showed Gentile’s automobile going at high speeds and passing vehicles in an unsafe manner, consistent with two people participating in an unlawful street race on a highway.
According to authorities, a forensic investigation of Gentile’s Subaru revealed that he was driving more than 125 mph in a 55-mph zone right before the incident.
A THC vape pen was found in Gentile’s car’s center cupholder. Officers discovered two bags in the trunk containing multiple used vape pens, a digital scale with residue, a loaded, black, unbranded 9mm handgun with no serial number attached, six glassine bags with suspected drug residue, two boxes of 9mm ammunition, a clear container with white powder residue, and a multi-color silicone container with 12 alprazolam pills.
Gentile was not authorized to possess the THC vape pen or tablets, and he did not have a weapons license, according to police.
A state-certified inspection mechanic allegedly assessed that Gentile’s car had no technical problems that could have contributed to the accident. Furthermore, the car’s state inspection and emissions certificate expired on April 23.
