Former Penn State football player charged with vehicular homicide after ATV crash
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Bradford County filed multiple charges, including homicide-by-vehicle and DUI.
- Crash on May 23 threw both occupants from a 2024 Yamaha ATV; passenger died.
- Fleming admitted drinking with BAC .118; defense calls the criminal charges overreach.
Former Penn State football player Julian Fleming is facing multiple felony charges stemming from vehicular homicide, months after he was allegedly intoxicated in an ATV crash that killed his girlfriend.
Charges were filed Tuesday. A preliminary arraignment was held Wednesday morning, and bail was set at $75,000.
The charges stem from an ATV crash that occurred on the evening of May 23, on Painter Lick Lane in Columbia Township, Bradford County. According to a crash report and a police complaint, Fleming was driving a 2024 Yamaha ATV with his girlfriend, Alyssa D. Boyd, as a passenger — maybe around 30-40 mph, one witness said — before it collided with a deer.
Both were thrown from the ATV and neither was wearing safety equipment, police said. Fleming was unconscious and was later taken to a hospital with serious injuries, while Boyd was pronounced dead at the scene. Fleming is 24; Boyd was 23.
Fleming admitted to police at the time he was drinking before the crash. A police complaint, filed Tuesday, revealed testing showed Fleming had a BAC of .118, over the legal limit of .08.
Fleming’s attorney, David Bahuriak of Bahuriak Law Group, told the CDT this was a “tragic and unavoidable accident” that never should have resulted in charges for Fleming.
“There was a charging decision to be made here, and I think they made the wrong one,” Bahuriak said Wednesday afternoon. “It was unavaoidable and resulted in a tragedy to both families. ... He lost someone very important to him in this accident, and I think charging him criminally in this case is a mistake and the facts don’t support homicide.
“This is a tragic accident. Nothing more, nothing less. Our hearts go out to the victim’s family.”
Fleming is facing nine charges , including two second-degree felony charges and two third-degree felony charges. The more serious charges include homicide by vehicle, homicide by vehicle while DUI, aggravated assault by vehicle while DUI, and aggravated assault by vehicle.
Because the crash occurred in Columbia Township, Fleming is being charged by the Bradford County District Attorney’s Office.
“They were having fun and then this unfortunate accident occurred, and everything changed in a matter of seconds,” Bahuriak said, alluding to Fleming and Boyd. “He lost someone he loved, and his future is potentially derailed. ... He has no juvenile record, no adult record, he has a strong record in the community, and he’s a kind and decent person. This is an overreach by the prosection, and it’s wrong.”
Fleming, a former five-star recruit from Southern Columbia in Catawissa, Pennsylvania, started his career at Ohio State and transferred to Penn State in early 2024. After spending last season with the Nittany Lions, the wide receiver signed with the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent, but reportedly failed his physical due to past injuries and did not join the NFL team.
Fleming finished his collegiate career with 54 games played for 93 catches; 1,139 yards and eight TDs. In his lone season with the Nittany Lions, he had 14 catches for 176 yards and a score.
CDT staff writer Bret Pallotto contributed to this report
This story was originally published October 8, 2025 at 3:36 PM.
