Passenger Seat

Nicole "Nikki" Kellenyi, a Washington Township High School senior bound for Rider University, died in a car crash late Saturday. Police said Kellenyi, 18, was in the backseat of a 1998 Saturn driven by Alexandria Giantonnio, also 18, that collided with a Ford pickup truck in Washington Township, Gloucester County. Patrick Curiale, who had been friends with Kellenyi since seventh grade and who said he had planned to go with her to the senior prom, called her "the nicest girl I have ever had the pleasure of knowing.

The body of an Upper Darby man who had been shot to death was found Tuesday in the passenger seat of his own car on a busy West Philadelphia street. Police said Ke Thara, 37, of the 7200 block of Brent Road in the Bywood section of Upper Darby, died from a gunshot to the back of the head. They did not say when Thara might have died, and no suspects have been identified. Officers from the 16th District were stopped by pedestrians about noon on Tuesday and directed to a red 1985 Subaru parked at the southeast corner of 43d and Aspen Streets.

A man and a woman were found dead in what police say was a murder-suicide Tuesday morning in Nicetown. The bodies of the pair were discovered shortly before noon in a Ford Explorer at Windrim and Wayne Avenues, near the Wayne Junction train station, police said. The 26-year-old woman, who was in the driver's seat, suffered a gunshot wound to the right side of her head, police said. The 31-year-old man, who was in the passenger seat, is believed to have shot himself in the mouth.

A Southwest Philadelphia man who was fatally shot in the city's Overbrook section Friday night was identified Saturday as Anthony Evans, authorities said. Evans, 24, was found at 11 p.m. Friday by officers responding to reports of gunfire. He was in the passenger seat of an SUV stopped in the 2300 block of 58th Street, police said. Evans had multiple wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene. Police said they had no suspects or motive. - Chris Hepp

DEAR ABBY: Like "I'd Rather Walk in Houston," I learned to drive as a high school senior. My father taught me in a local park. As I learned to operate the car, I gained confidence, but I was still not ready for street traffic. He said I was a "slow learner," but didn't force me onto the streets. After several more rounds in the park, I was able to face traffic. Yes, I was uneasy, but having Dad in the passenger seat boosted my confidence. I drove with supervision for several months to get accustomed to the controls.

A 20-year-old Burlington County man involved in a single-car crash in Egg Harbor that killed his 19-year-old passenger Sunday was charged Wednesday with second-degree vehicular homicide and driving under the influence, according to Atlantic County Prosecutor Ted Housel. Kevin Dilks, of Chatsworth, lost control of his Jeep Cherokee on Clarks Landing Road around 1:30 a.m. The vehicle overturned and crashed into trees, officials said. Ashley Adams, of Southampton, was ejected from the passenger seat.

Upper Darby Police said a woman's body was found in a car parked at Creek Road Apartments in Drexel Hill Friday, and it appeared she had been murdered. Two men cutting grass at the complex on James Street and Blanchard Road saw the woman slumped over in the passenger seat at 11:50 a.m. Police had not yet identified the victim, but Superintendent Mike Chitwood said she appeared to have a bullet hole behind her left ear. "It looks like a hit," he said. The car was a newer model midnight-blue Chrsyler 300 that may have been used in a home invasion last month, Chitwood said.

A 23-year-old man was killed and a woman wounded in a shooting late Monday in Southwest Philadelphia, police said. Both victims were sitting in a car when gunfire exploded about 11:20 p.m. on the 7200 block of Elmwood Avenue in the Eastwick section. The man, not yet identified, was shot in the head and a bullet grazed the back of a 20-year-old woman sitting in the passenger seat, police said, The man died and the woman was treated at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and released, police said.

A man was arrested in connection with the hit-and-run death of a 52-year-old woman Tuesday in Powelton Village, police said. Carl Bunch, 30, of the 800 block of North 66th Street, was charged with homicide by vehicle and related offense in the death of Sandra Lee, a passenger in a car Bunch's vehicle struck. The collision occurred as Bunch allegedly was driving his Nissan off a ramp from the Schuylkill Expressway toward 33d and Spring Garden Streets just after midnight, police said.

2013 Chevrolet Spark 2LT: A Fiat fighter as tested; a Kia fighter in base form. Price: $15,795 as tested, $12,245 for a base version. Marketer's pitch: "Soon to be an urban legend. " Conventional wisdom: Edmunds.com dubs it "Inexpensive without feeling cheap. " Reality: Bigger than you'd think; not speedy, but still fun. You almost want to pinch it: The lovely Mrs. Passenger Seat and Sturgis Kids 1.0 through 4.0 quickly dubbed our little salsa-red test model "Chomper," after the adorable baby T-Rex from the Land Before Time movies.

Police are searching for a gunman who opened fire on a 31-year-old mother and her 5-year-old daughter as they sat in their car in Southwest Philadelphia this week, killing the woman and wounding the child. Authorities on Wednesday said they had identified a suspect in the killing of Alisha Canty of Wilmington but declined to name him. The child, who was grazed in the head by either a bullet or broken glass, was released from Children's Hospital of Philadelphia shortly after the shooting Tuesday.

A woman has been charged in connection with a crash that killed her husband Tuesday on the Black Horse Pike just outside of Atlantic City. Allison Hawks Nasta, 28, of Manchester, New Hampshire, was charged by the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office with hindering apprehension, obstruction of the administration of law, driving while having a suspended driver's license and being involved in a fatal accident, and possession of drug paraphernalia....

2012 Honda Pilot 4WD Touring: A better-looking, better-behaved big boy. Price: $40,820. No options. Marketer's pitch: "A more refined design. " Conventional wisdom: "Outpaced by more well-rounded choices," says Edmunds.com. Reality: I've tried most of the other choices and found this among the best. A nice surprise: Maybe I'm too hard on Honda. Maybe it's their great reputation that makes my inner Mr. Driver's Seat say "Oh, yeah, you think you're so special?

Nicole "Nikki" Kellenyi, a Washington Township High School senior bound for Rider University, died in a car crash late Saturday. Police said Kellenyi, 18, was in the backseat of a 1998 Saturn driven by Alexandria Giantonnio, also 18, that collided with a Ford pickup truck in Washington Township, Gloucester County. Patrick Curiale, who had been friends with Kellenyi since seventh grade and who said he had planned to go with her to the senior prom, called her "the nicest girl I have ever had the pleasure of knowing.

A man and a woman were found dead in what police say was a murder-suicide Tuesday morning in Nicetown. The bodies of the pair were discovered shortly before noon in a Ford Explorer at Windrim and Wayne Avenues, near the Wayne Junction train station, police said. The 26-year-old woman, who was in the driver's seat, suffered a gunshot wound to the right side of her head, police said. The 31-year-old man, who was in the passenger seat, is believed to have shot himself in the mouth.

DEAR ABBY: Like "I'd Rather Walk in Houston," I learned to drive as a high school senior. My father taught me in a local park. As I learned to operate the car, I gained confidence, but I was still not ready for street traffic. He said I was a "slow learner," but didn't force me onto the streets. After several more rounds in the park, I was able to face traffic. Yes, I was uneasy, but having Dad in the passenger seat boosted my confidence. I drove with supervision for several months to get accustomed to the controls.

Three people were killed in a one-car accident Wednesday night near the Franklin Mills Mall in Northeast Philadelphia, authorities said. A maroon 1995 Pontiac Grand Am was northbound on Franklin Mills Circle when the driver lost control and the car flipped just before 8 p.m., police said. Two men were ejected and a woman was trapped inside, police and fire officials said. The car hit three concrete barriers before it flipped over and finally came to rest on its hood, said Officer Tanya Little, a police spokeswoman.