Community Honors Volunteer EMT Taha Chomelawala at Memorial

Berwyn, Pa. — September 6, 2026 — Family, friends and members of the emergency services community gathered Sunday afternoon at Conestoga High School to honor the life of volunteer EMT Taha F. Chomelawala. 

Chomelawala, 21, was a graduate of Conestoga High School and a volunteer with the Berwyn Fire Company. He joined the company in 2022 while still in high school and became a registered EMT with the Pennsylvania Department of Health. The fire company said he remained an active volunteer while attending college. 

Chomelawala died August 25, two days after he was involved in an e-scooter crash in Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh police said he was struck by a vehicle while riding near 10th and East Carson streets in the city's South Side. 

He was preparing to begin his senior year at the University of Pittsburgh's David C. Frederick Honors College, where he studied neuroscience. He also worked as a medical researcher and teaching assistant and had planned to pursue a career as a neurosurgeon. 

During Sunday's memorial, Chomelawala was also recognized through the Herbert Harwood Memorial plaque at the Berwyn Fire Company. The fire company said he became the sixth active volunteer added to the plaque since it was established in 1979. The memorial honors Herbert Harwood, who died during a fire company family function while serving as an assistant chief. 

The memorial was a planned community gathering rather than an emergency incident. No first-arriving fire department or mutual-aid response was applicable. Berwyn Fire Company members attended in support of the Chomelawala family, but no emergency response or assisting fire companies were identified in the available reports. 

The Berwyn Fire Company said Chomelawala also took part in the company's move into its new Bridge Avenue fire station in 2025.