Esteban ParraDelaware News Journal
The motorcyclist charged with fatally hitting a University of Delaware freshman was being taken to an area hospital when he made a damning remark, court documents claim.
"I screwed up," Brian Briddle was quoted as saying inside an ambulance taking him to Christiana Hospital, according to court documents obtained by Delaware Online/The News Journal.
Briddle was arrested on Thursday – his 27th birthday – and has been charged with second-degree murder in the death of18-year-old Noelia Gomez of Clark, New Jersey.
Gomez, whose LinkedIn profile said she was studying accounting and business management at UD, was crossing a Newark street a little before midnight when Briddle hit her as he fled from an attempted police stop.
More: Delaware, New Jersey communities mourn UD freshman fatally hit by motorcycle near campus
What court documents say
Briddle was operating a 2008 Yamaha motorcycle on East Main Street late Tuesday when a UD officer noticed the motorcycle was not showing a license plate.
When the UD officer activated his emergency lights at East Main and South Chapel streets, court records said the officer's dash cam shows Briddle drive into the right lane.
Then something else happened.
"Just before Haines Street the motorcycle fled the stop by accelerating away at a high rate of speed as seen on the dash camera and heard on the dash camera's audio of the motorcycle engine revving," the court documents said.
As Briddle sped away, court documents said the officer did not pursue him and also turned his emergency lights off.
Briddle, according to court documents, can be seen running several stop lights on East Main Street. His actions were captured on the officer's dashcam and several Newark surveillance cameras.
First day of classes at University of Delaware
Tuesday was the first day of fall semester classes at UD, resulting in East Main Street having a lot of people.
"There were vehicles parked along the roadway, vehicles traveling the roadway and vehicles stopped at red lights," the court documents said. "There were many pedestrians walking along the adjacent sidewalks and crossing the roadway.
"The businesses along the roadway were still open as this occurred just before midnight and the bars were beginning to let out."
As Briddle continued to flee on West Main Street, police said, he hit Gomez, who was using the crosswalk. Briddle was ejected from the motorcycle, which continued onto the sidewalk and struck four people.
This crash occurred within one minute of the attempt to stop Briddle, police said.
What happened on the ambulance ride
Bystanders rushed to aid Gomez, who died.
When a Newark officer arrived at the scene, they found Gomez in the street, unresponsive and in cardiac arrest.
"It was apparent that the victim was struck by the motorcyclist," the court documents said.
The officer saw Briddle sitting on a nearby curb. University police had already handcuffed him.
"He was obviously injured as one of his eyes was swollen and he had a bloody face," court documents state. Because of his injuries and everything going on at the scene, police did not interview him there or perform a sobriety test.
Briddle was asked, however, what happened and the court documents claim he could not remember.
He was loaded into an ambulance and taken to Christiana Hospital. A Newark police officer accompanied him.
It was during this ambulance ride that court documents said the officer heard Briddle say he screwed up.
Driver says he doesn't like how police treat motorcyclists
Briddle was interviewed at Christiana Hospital, where court records said he told the detective he did not remember police attempting to stop him or the crash.
"Briddle did state that he would have run from police because his motorcycle was not registered and he did not like the way that police officers treat motorcyclists," the court document said.
While Briddle does have a valid Delaware license, police said his license did not have a motorcycle endorsem*nt. A search found that the motorcycle had last been registered in Virginia by another person who reported it sold.
Briddle was arrested on Thursday at his house and charged with second-degree murder, a weapons offense and several traffic violations. He was being held at Howard R. Young Correctional Institution in Wilmington on Friday after failing to post more than $362,000 in cash bail.
His preliminary hearing is scheduled for Sept. 12 in the Court of Common Pleas.
More: Motorcyclist charged with killing UD freshman as he sped from traffic stop, police say
Send tips or story ideas to Esteban Parra at (302) 324-2299 or eparra@delawareonline.com.
