Procession honors Walnuttown fire chief and assistant chief killed by alleged impaired driver

KUTZTOWN, Pa. (WPVI) -- A procession of fire trucks followed a pair of hearses through part of Bucks County on Monday to honor a chief and assistant chief killed in a crash over the weekend.

The procession moved from the Lehigh County Coroners' Office to Ludwick Funeral Home in Kutztown, as firefighters and community members gathered to mourn Walnuttown Fire Chief Jeff Buck and Assistant Chief Robert Shick Junior.

Fellow firefighters stood at attention while family and friends hugged and cried over the loss. Those who served alongside the two men said their roles extended far beyond their ranks.

"They were more than that. They were father figures to all of us," said Lt. Ryan Tyson of the Walnuttown Fire Co.

The deaths occurred Saturday evening while Buck and Shick were responding to a call to help search for a missing woman.

They were on the side of Kutztown Road when a car careened head-on into their utility terrain vehicle.

Buck, 60, and Shick, 56, were killed.

Police said the driver of the car, 26-year-old Alexander Rivera of the Bronx, was arrested on multiple charges, including homicide by vehicle and driving under the influence.

Investigators said there was also a female passenger inside the car, but so far she has not been charged.

As grieving continues for the two public servants, local fire officials said the loss is deeply felt across Berks County, reflecting the camaraderie shared among firefighters.

"We know them personally. We work with them on a personal relationship and professional relationship. In fact, our department, everybody here, was on the initial call when this incident happened," said Kutztown Fire and Rescue Deputy Chief Todd Evans.

Evans said he wishes he could do more for the victims and their families.

"This is just a minimum we can do to honor them. I mean, there's a lot more to do to honor them, but we can do right now, the grieving is going to go on for several days until after the service and we're going to continue to honor them," Evans said.

According to the criminal complaint, Rivera, who does not have a driver's license, told police he had been smoking marijuana earlier that day and fell asleep at the wheel before the crash. Authorities said a crack pipe was also recovered from his vehicle.

The Berks County district attorney is scheduled to hold a news conference about the case on Tuesday morning. Rivera remains behind bars tonight in lieu of $500,000 bail.