by Dan Doyle | October 15, 2025
DOYLESTOWN, PA — In an emotion-filled Bucks County courtroom packed beyond capacity, 26-year-old Colin John Wahlers of Perkasie was sentenced Wednesday to three to six years in state prison for the drunken, high-speed crash that claimed the life of his passenger, Joseph Kay, a 35-year-old former volunteer firefighter.
Wahlers entered an open guilty plea to homicide by vehicle while DUI, fleeing and eluding police, and related offenses. The sentence, imposed by Common Pleas Judge Jeffrey L. Finley, includes an additional six years of probation to run concurrently. Judge Finley also ordered that Wahlers is ineligible for any early release programs, citing the “devastating cost” of his actions.
The fatal crash occurred on June 2, 2024, when Wahlers, heavily intoxicated, fled from a Hilltown Township police officer after being spotted driving an unregistered Polaris Ranger utility vehicle. He sped along Green Street, reaching over 65 mph in a 40-mph zone, before losing control and flipping the vehicle near Rickert Road.
Kay, a respected former volunteer with the Plumsteadville Fire Company, was ejected and killed instantly from blunt force trauma. Wahlers suffered only minor injuries. Toxicology reports later showed Wahlers had a blood-alcohol content of 0.195 percent more than twice Pennsylvania’s legal limit.
During the sentencing hearing, Assistant District Attorney Andrew Bukowski presented harrowing dashcam and body camera footage capturing the pursuit and aftermath. The video showed Officer Kevin Godfrey chasing the off-road vehicle moments before it flipped, and then rushing to render aid to a gravely injured Kay.
As the officer fought to save the victim’s life, the footage recorded Wahlers coldly saying, “Hell of a way to end a Saturday night.”
The courtroom was brought to tears as Kay’s family members delivered deeply emotional victim impact statements. His mother, sisters, and wife described the crushing grief of losing someone who had dedicated his life to helping others.
“Joey was my pride, my joy, my purpose. Joey was what made my heart beat,” his mother told the court through tears. “In an instant, his life was stolen, and it was stolen by a drunk driver.”
ADA Bukowski also read a letter from Kay’s father, who condemned Wahlers’ choices as “selfish, reckless, and irreversible.”
Though Wahlers apologized in court, his remorse did little to ease the anguish felt by Kay’s loved ones.
In delivering the sentence, Judge Finley spoke directly to the gravity of the tragedy:
“It is clear to me that the impact on the victim and family — his wife, his parents, his siblings, his friends, the community — is devastating.”
The Bucks County District Attorney’s Office expressed its condolences to the Kay family, calling the crash a preventable and heartbreaking loss for the community.
The case was investigated by the Hilltown Township Police Department, the Plumstead Township Police Department, and the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office Homicide by Vehicle Unit, with prosecution led by ADA Andrew Bukowski.