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Two charged in fatal accident

A man and a woman, who allegedly lied to police about who was behind the driver, were charged in connection with the death of 16-year-old Tim Paciello Jr., a junior at Pottsgrove High School.

Two Collegeville residents have been charged in connection with the car accident that killed a 16-year-old Pottsgrove High School student.

The Pottsgrove Police Department and the Montgomery County District Attorney's office said today that the woman who claimed to be the driver of the car that struck Tim Paciello, Jr. on Nov. 12, actually was the front-seat passenger. Investigators learned that her boyfriend, who said he was the passenger, was the one actually operating the vehicle when it hit Paciello as the high school junior crossed East High Street by Sunnyside Avenue in Lower Pottsgrove Township.

Robert N. Sitler, Jr. faces homicide by vehicle, insurance fraud, unsworn falsification to authorities, false reports, corruption of minors, conspiracy, reckless driving, speeding and other charges. Denise Dinnocenti's charges include insurance fraud, unsworn falsification to authorities, false reports, corruption of minors, and conspiracy.

During a follow-up interview, police said, Dinnocenti and Sitler admitted that Sitler — who had drunk "a few beers" and was involved in a 2004 pedestrian crash in Alabama — was the driver. In that 2004 case, Sitler was convicted of vehicle homicide-manslaughter.

The pair also acknowledged that they had instructed Dinnocenti's children, who were sitting in the backseat, to lie about who was driving at the time of the accident.