The 43-year-old LANTA bus driver and 17-year-old Liberty student who helped police catch the teen who struck a bicyclist on the Fahy Bridge Monday said they acted out of instinct when they boxed in the suspect who tried to flee from the wreck.



Bethlehem Police Commissioner Jason Schiffer and Mayor John Callahan honored Richard Gubish Jr., 43, of Northampton, and Jud Smull, 17, of Bethlehem during a news conference this afternoon to commend their quick thinking.



Frank Pavlick, 50, of Bethlehem, was hit Monday afternoon by a 17-year-old driver in the northbound lanes of the Fahy Bridge. Seconds after the impact, the driver sped off, but up ahead Gubish, driving a Lehigh and Northampton Transportation Authority bus, quickly maneuvered the vehicle to stop him. Smull followed the suspect, blocking him from getting away until police arrived.

Smull, who is on track to be valedictorian of his class, was on his way to a track meet after leaving a

class when he saw the crash unfold in front of him.

Smull said he followed the driver after Pavlick frantically waved him on.

Pavlick, who attended today’s event, expressed his gratitude to both men.

Pavlick suffered minor injuries in the wreck and said he expects to meet next week with a chiropractor. His bike, however, was totaled and is in police custody as evidence. The 50-year-old acknowledged that the result could have been far worse than bruising and a busted bike.

The police commissioner showed a video of the wreck unfolding, recorded by bridge cameras. The suspect can be seen trying to pass a car, swerve back into the right lane and then hit Pavlick from behind. The teenage culprit takes barely a moment before he speeds off and is stopped by Gubish’s bus.

Callahan said the incident reflects the character of Bethlehem residents. He hopes citizens remember that bicycling is a form of transportation in the city that deserves respect of other drivers.

The crash occurred on the first day of the state’s new bicycle law requiring motorists to give cyclists a 4-foot cushion while passing them on the road.

Schiffer, an avid cyclist himself, said the city expects such heroic and quick thinking as was displayed Monday from its public servants, but not always its residents.

Gubish’s father, Richard Gubish Sr., of Bethlehem, said he watched the video with pride, if not surprise.

Smull’s mother, Deb Smull, said her son is willing to go out of the way for others, so Monday’s actions were not out of character.