On the evening of Friday, November 14, 2025, a devastating chain-reaction collision on southbound Interstate 81 near mile marker 135.5 in Schuylkill County claimed the life of a local man and left two others injured. According to the Pennsylvania State Police — Frackville Barracks, the crash involved three vehicles: a 2024 Honda Civic, a 2024 International tractor-trailer, and a 2016 Audi Q5.
Investigators say the sequence began when the Honda Civic, driven by 28-year-old Rafael Ceballos of Hazleton, passed a stopped vehicle on the right shoulder and then merged back into the travel lane. That move proved critical: as he re-entered, the front right side of his Civic struck the rear left of the tractor-trailer, operated by 45-year-old Charvel Prophete from Columbus, Ohio.
The collision momentum didn’t stop there. After impact with the tractor-trailer, the Honda spun multiple times before coming to rest in the right travel lane, facing north. Moments later it collided with the Audi Q5, driven by 36-year-old Danyel Miller of Shenandoah, which had been traveling in the left southbound lane. The Audi was forced off the roadway, down the embankment in the grass median, and rolled multiple times before coming to rest in the left lane of I-81 North, facing east.
Tragically, Danyel Miller suffered fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene by the Schuylkill County Coroner’s Office. The other two drivers, Ceballos and Prophete, escaped with suspected minor injuries; Ceballos was taken by McAdoo Fire Co. Ambulance Association to Lehigh Valley Hospital–Hazleton, and Prophete went via Shenandoah Community Ambulance Association to Lehigh Valley Hospital–Schuylkill East.
All three vehicles endured disabling damage, except the tractor-trailer which sustained only minor rear-side damage and came to a controlled stop on the west shoulder of I-81 South. The highway was shut in both directions as emergency crews and crash reconstruction teams worked the scene.
As of the latest update, the Pennsylvania State Police – Frackville Barracks continue their investigation into the crash. At this time, no indication of impaired driving or other contributing factors has been publicly released.
In the wake of this heartbreaking loss, the Shenandoah community and surrounding areas have been reminded of the ever-present risks on high-speed roadways. As one local news outlet put it: “One person is confirmed dead at the scene; highway closed to traffic.”
