(Credit for Photo: Photo Courtesy of WTAE-TV Pittsburgh, Posted on Facebook on April 13th, 2026)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Allegheny County, PA) A woman who drove off a snow embankment on Interstate 376 and into the Monongahela River on January 29 had a blood alcohol content above Pennsylvania’s legal limit at the time of the crash, according to Pennsylvania State Police. 

Trooper Rocco Gagliardi said during a news conference yesterday that an autopsy report showed Jacinta Stevens, of Pittsburgh’s West End, had a blood alcohol content above the state’s legal limit of 0.08%. 

Investigators initially worked to determine whether another vehicle may have struck Stevens’ vehicle, causing it to go over the embankment and into the river near UPMC Mercy, Gagliardi said. 

However, investigators found no evidence that another vehicle was involved. Police said a witness reported Stevens passed him in the left lane at an excessive speed before losing control. 

Following the crash, first responders launched a river rescue operation in frigid temperatures. Divers recovered Stevens from the water, and she later died at a hospital. 

Police later recovered the heavily damaged vehicle for forensic testing. Gagliardi described the investigation as tragic and complex and said the case is now considered closed.