A Bethlehem man has been charged with homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence of alcohol and other offenses in a fatal two-vehicle crash in Whitehall Township in 2014.

Jose Rivera, 44, of 555 Ontario St., Bethlehem, has been charged with homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence of alcohol, homicide by vehicle, involuntary manslaughter, driving under the influence of alcohol, recklessly endangering other people, and summary offenses of reckless and careless driving resulting in a death, driving at an unsafe speed and a red light violation.

Rivera was charged with causing the death of Luis Navaro-Natal, a passenger in his vehicle, after an investigation by crash reconstructionists of the Whitehall Township Police Department and Pennsylvania State Police.

According to the affidavit of probable cause:

At 2:10 a.m. Nov. 30, 2014, a two-vehicle crash occurred at the intersection of MacArthur Road and Schadt Avenue in the township. One of the vehicles was a Honda station wagon; the other was a sedan. Police determined the Honda was occupied by Rivera and Navarro-Natal and was owned by Rivera.

A witness told police the Honda was traveling west on Schadt Avenue and proceeded through a steady red traffic light. The Honda struck the sedan that was traveling south on MacArthur Road. Both occupants of the Honda were ejected.

All occupants of the vehicles involved in the crash had multiple injuries. Navano-Natal, 49, of Bethlehem, died as a result of his injuries.

The driver of the sedan told police he recalled driving south on MacArthur Road before the impact, but he did not recall anything else.

Because of Rivera’s severe injuries, police were unable to interview him until several weeks later because of his recovery and therapy. Rivera said he did not recall what had happened.

During the investigation, police inspected both vehicles and determined there were no mechanical failures that could have contributed to the crash.

During the investigation, police learned that Rivera and Navarro-Natal had an altercation at a party in Whitehall Township minutes before the crash. Police also learned that both men had been drinking alcohol. Both men had a strong odor of alcohol at the crash scene. Test results showed that Rivera’s blood-alcohol level was 0.28 percent at the time of the crash.

District Attorney James B. Martin said the investigation was lengthy because numerous scientific tests, including DNA analysis, had to be done to determine the identity of the driver. During the investigation, police closed Schadt Avenue for a few hours on Dec. 11, 2014, to do an accident reconstruction.