A former Penn State student charged in a connection with a fatal crash last fall in State College pleaded guilty on Friday in Centre County Court.

Ahmed Alqubaisi, 20, pleaded guilty to one felony count of accidents involving death or personal injury for the the September 12 crash that killed 25-year-old Penn State graduate student Lovisa Arnesson-Cronhamre.

President Judge Jonathan Grine sentenced Alqubaisi to 33 days to 23.5 months in prison, followed by five years of probation, after a plea agreement was reached by prosecutors and the defense.

The plea agreement was made with the support of Arnesson-Cronhamre’s family, Assistant District Attorney Megan McGoron said.

The minimum sentence means Alqubaisi, of United Arab Emirates, is eligible for immediate release from his prison sentence, however, he remains in the custody of federal authorities and may face deportation. He was taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on March 4 for violating the terms of his visa, including not being enrolled at a college or university, and has been detained at the Clinton County Correctional Facility since then. 

Alqubaisi was initially denied bail at his preliminary arraignment, but after a hearing in September, he was released on $3 million bail in October. Conditions of his bail included wearing an ankle monitor, remaining in Centre County, surrendering his passport and visa and supervision by the Centre County Probation and Parole Department.

In January, Grine agreed to modify the terms to allow Alqubaisi to attend classes at Harrisburg Area Community College since he was suspended from Penn State. Prosecutors learned in February that he was not attending classes nor enrolled at HACC, and probation officers reported he did not respond to repeated phone calls and text messages. He was also living at a different residence than the Ferguson Township address provided to the court, according to a motion to revoke bail filed by McGoron earlier this week.

His bail was revoked at a hearing on Thursday.

McGoron said after Friday’s plea that she could not speak to what immigration officials will do next but that Alqubaisi was transported from Centre County custody back to the Clinton County jail on an ICE detainer.

Alqubaisi was arrested following the September 12 crash on the 200 block of East Park Avenue. According to an affidavit of probable cause filed by State College Police, Alqubaisi was driving in the westbound lane at about 8 p.m. when he lost control of his 2024 BMW M3, went onto the sidewalk and struck Arnesson-Cronhamre, who was jogging at the time.

The impact of the crash threw Arnesson-Cronhamre about 80 feet. She was taken to Mount Nittany Medical Center and then flown to UPMC-Altoona, where she died from her injuries at about 2 a.m. on September 13. A doctoral student from Sweden who was studying architectural engineering, Arnesson-Cronhamre suffered a brain bleed, broken neck, shattered right arm and broken left foot.

Alqubaisi, according to the affidavit, had a learner’s permit and did not have a licensed driver in the vehicle with him at the time of the crash.

He was initially charged with a felony count of homicide by vehicle, misdemeanor counts of involuntary manslaughter and recklessly endangering another person and five summary motor vehicle offenses.

Because Alqubaisi was suspended from the university and has no other ties to Pennsylvania, the investigating detective wrote in the affidavit that he posed a flight risk. Arnesson-Cronhamre’s family opposed setting bail in the case, and an online petition signed by more than 17,000 people supported the family’s objections.