Traffic on a stretch of the Pennsylvania Turnpike near Route 31 in Donegal Township turned into a full-blown police emergency Saturday after troopers say a man parked his pickup on the shoulder and loudly claimed there was a bomb inside. The situation escalated fast, with authorities reporting that the man eventually lunged for a trooper's duty weapon before officers forced him to the ground and arrested him.
Troopers arriving at the scene found the man standing beside the truck, gripping an electronic device with an antenna and yelling, "there's a bomb in the truck," according to CBS Pittsburgh. The outlet reports he ordered officers to "calm down" and back away, and claimed there was a gun inside the vehicle. As they moved to detain him, troopers say they discovered ammunition on him.
Pennsylvania State Police later identified the suspect as 45-year-old Jeffrey Sever of McDonald. The stop occurred Saturday on the shoulder near the Turnpike and Route 31, Daily Voice Allentown reported. Investigators say Sever appeared agitated and again mentioned a handgun in the pickup just before troopers tried to handcuff him.
According to the Westmoreland County District Attorney's Office, prosecutors have charged Sever with terroristic threats, receiving stolen property, disarming a law enforcement officer, resisting arrest and possessing an instrument of crime, CBS Pittsburgh noted. The case will be handled in Westmoreland County while investigators continue to sift through the evidence from the roadside scare.
Scene and search warrant
Once the immediate chaos was under control, investigators turned their attention to the pickup. A court-approved search of the truck uncovered a pistol, three cell phones (one of which appeared to be a detonation device), electrical wiring components, cut pieces of PVC pipe, and a rope soaked in what authorities believed was a fuel product, according to Pennsylvania State Police.
Troopers say they had conducted only a quick search along the highway and did not find any actual explosives at the scene. As the investigation moved forward, authorities learned the truck and the firearm inside it belonged to another man who, police say, had not permitted Sever to use either.
What the law says
Under Pennsylvania law, 18 Pa.C.S. § 2706 defines "terroristic threats" as communications that threaten violence, cause evacuations, or create "serious public inconvenience," and it allows courts to order restitution to cover the costs of emergency responses. The full text of the statute is available at 18 Pa.C.S. § 2706, which notes that the offense is typically a misdemeanor but can be charged as a third-degree felony if it results in evacuations or diversions.
Sever remains in custody while prosecutors prepare formal filings. Court dates had not yet appeared in public dockets at the time of publication.
