Pennsylvania State Police Jayana Tanae Webb is the driver accused of killing two Pennsylvania State Police troopers.
Jayana Tanae Webb is a DUI suspect accused of killing two Pennsylvania state troopers and a pedestrian in a Philadelphia highway crash. Just months before the deadly crash, Webb tweeted from her @Tanae_jay Twitter account that she’s “the best drunk driver ever.” The 21-year-old Webb is facing several charges, including murder, after her March 22, 2022 arrest, police said.
The crash killed Pennsylvania State Police Troopers Martin Mack III and Branden Sisca, authorities said. Reyes Rivera Oliveras, a pedestrian who was being helped by the troopers, was also killed in the crash. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, Webb crashed her SUV into Mack, Sisca and Oliveras on Interstate 95 about 1 a.m. on Monday, March 21, 2022.
Pennsylvania State PoliceTrooper Martin Mack III and Trooper Branden Sisca.
According to the Pennsylvania State Police, Mack and Sisca were both assigned to Troop K, the division that patrols the Philadelphia area along with Montgomery and Delaware counties. The other victim, Reyes Rivera Oliveras, was from Allentown.
FacebookReyes Rivera Oliveras.
Mack was 33 and joined the state police in 2014. Sisca, 29, became a trooper in February 2021 and had only recently graduated from the police academy. Sisca was also the fire chief of the volunteer Trappe Fire Company in Montgomery County, authorities said. Mack is survived by his wife and two children, while Sisca is survived by his pregnant wife.
Here’s what you need to know about Jayana Webb:
1. Along With the Tweet Claiming to Be the ‘Best Drunk Driver Ever,’ Jayana Webb Also Often Tweeted About Driving & Alcohol & Posted About Being Stopped for Speeding Just Before the Triple Fatal Crash
On her Twitter account, Jayana Tanae Webb often tweeted about drinking and alcohol. On January 15, 2022, Webb tweeted, “If you ask me, I’m the best drunk driver ever 😭😭😭.”
On March 21, 2022, about 12:45 a.m., just before the fatal crash, Webb tweeted, “Why the cop pull me & he say im doing 110 ina 50 😭😭😭😭” Police have said that Webb’s car had been stopped by troopers before the crash.
On March 20, 2022, Webb tweeted, “When it come to a drink ? Ima have ittttt!!!!!!” She tweeted several times in February about drinking, tweeting February 23, “I always have an urge to get drink..this is getting out of hand….”
On March 10, she tweeted, “I’m drunk…but I wanna be more drunk.” She tweeted on March 9, “Drunk me ain’t nothing to play with me!” A search of her tweets shows she mentioned drinking or being drunk several times in recent months. She tweeted on February 5, “Why do the liquor store close so early?”
2. Webb Had Been Pulled Over, but Troopers Left the Scene for a Call of a Pedestrian Walking on the Highway; Police Say She Then Drove Into the Troopers & Pedestrian to Get Around Stopped Traffic
According to Fox 29 Philadelphia, the two troopers had stopped Webb on suspicion of drunken driving not long before the deadly crash. But they cut the traffic stop short after dispatchers reported a pedestrian was walking in the southbound lanes of I-95 near the Broad Street exit, the news station reports.
The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that Webb was trying to pass the trooper’s vehicle and stopped traffic in the shoulder when she struck the three men at a high rate of speed, killing them. Bystanders attempted to provide life-saving treatment to the victims, including CPR, but all three victims were pronounced dead at the scene, police said.
Webb was driving at a high rate of speed and the impact of the crash caused the victims to fly over a median. The men were all pronounced dead at the scene. Webb did not flee, police said. According to Fox 29, Webb had a blood alcohol content more than twice the legal limit.
3. Webb Is an Eagleville Resident Who Graduated From Norristown Area High School in 2018
TwitterJayana Webb.
Webb is a 2018 graduate of Norristown Area High School and lives in Eagleville, in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, according to her social media profiles and police records. Webb ran track in high school and was one of the top runners on her team, according to her Twitter account and a now-deleted post the high school put on Facebook while she was a student.
According to NBC Philadelphia, Webb admitted to drinking “strawberry Henny,” a reference to Hennessey cognac, before the crash.
Webb’s attorney, Michael Walker, told WPVI, “Right now she’s devastated. She’s extremely saddened. She is not a violent criminal. She has no criminal past, has no prior contacts with police whatsoever.”
Walker added, “This is not going to be a case that’s going to be tried in the papers. We’re going to wait until the evidence comes out to make any specific comments about the facts of the case.” She was arrested using the handcuffs of the slain troopers.
4. Webb, Who Is Being Held Without Bond
Webb made her first court appearance was ordered held without bail, records show. Her next court hearing is scheduled. for April 5. Webb has been charged with third-degree murder, homicide by a vehicle while driving under the influence (DUI), homicide by vehicle, two counts of second-degree manslaughter of a law enforcement officer and involuntary manslaughter, state police said.
According to the state police press release, Webb was also charged with three counts of recklessly endangering another person, driving under the influence and multiple traffic violations, including failing to drive at a safe speed, careless driving and reckless driving.
Walker, her attorney, argued she be released from custody on bond, according to NBC Philadelphia. He told the news station, “Number one she’s not a flight risk. Number two, she’s not a danger to society and there are things that you can put in place to protect society if you believe she’s a danger to society like put her on an electronic cuff. Make her sit in house arrest.”
He added, “This wasn’t an intentional act. We’re not talking about a capital case here. We’re not talking about a murder one case. We’re talking about potentially an accident that happened. That people were involved in a confluence of unfortunate events that culminated into this horrific accident. She was extremely saddened and you’ve got to recognize that her 22nd birthday is next month. And this is a person who’s not a violent person and certainly cares about people very deeply. And it’s unfortunate that this may be the worst thing she’s ever done or been accused of and it may color the rest of her life. The rest of her life for some mistake she may have made on her 22nd birthday.”
5. The District Attorney Says They Will “Seek to Ensure’ Webb Is “Held Accountable’ for the ‘Senseless Loss of Life’
Wearing the handcuffs issued to the late Troopers Martin Mack and Branden Sisca, Jayana Webb is walked by PA State Police to be arraigned on 3rd degree murder and DUI charges — she is accused of hitting and killing the troopers and a pedestrian. @CBSPhilly
Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner said in a statement, “I again extend my deepest condolences to the colleagues and loved ones of Troopers Mack and Sisca, as well as Mr. Oliveras. My office will now seek to ensure this defendant is held accountable for her alleged actions that resulted in this senseless loss of life.” Krasner called the deaths “tragedies.”
Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf said in a statement, “This is a heartbreaking tragedy that occurred while these troopers were protecting and serving. This mournful incident is a stark reminder of the risks—and sacrifices—our law enforcement officers undertake every day to keep us safe. My heart goes out to their families and the communities they lived in and served.”
Pennsylvania State Police Commissioner Robert Evanchick added, “Our department is heartbroken with the tragedy that occurred early this morning in Philadelphia. We ask our fellow Pennsylvanians to keep the families of our troopers and the pedestrian in their thoughts. This is an extremely difficult time.”
GoFundMe campaigns have been set up to help the families of Trooper Martin Mack and
Trooper Branden Sisca. Sisca’s wife is expecting to give birth to their first child, a daughter in July, the GoFundMe says.
“Branden was an honorable man, with a heart of gold, who had a true passion for helping others every single day. Not only was he a PA State Trooper, he has volunteered his time as a Firefighter from the age of 16 and recently obtained the position of Fire Chief in January,” family friend Chrissy Childs wrote on the GoFundMe campaign page.
Mack is survived by his wife and their two young daughters. According to the Bucks County Courier Times, Mack also served in the Pennsylvania National Guard and was an assistant high school lacrosse coach.