A New Kensington police officer has been placed on administrative leave after a confrontation with a suspect left the man with a fractured jaw and broken cheekbones requiring hospitalization. Officer Nathaniel Cochran delivered several elbow strikes to Anthony DeLaRosa's face during the struggle, and the Westmoreland County District Attorney's Office has confirmed it is now investigating whether that force was justified.
The confrontation began when police responded to an abandoned house after a 911 caller reported a man and woman on bicycles suspected of trying to break in, according to CBS News, which first reported the story. Officers found no one at the house when they arrived, but soon confronted a man and woman riding bicycles down a nearby alley. DeLaRosa resisted orders to put his hands behind his back, and an arriving officer from Arnold, Pennsylvania, shocked him three times with a Taser as officers tussled with him.
Cochran told investigators DeLaRosa was flailing and tried to bite him on the thigh while he was attempting to handcuff him, at which point Cochran delivered the elbow strikes to DeLaRosa's face. The confrontation left DeLaRosa with a fractured jaw and broken cheekbones, and he was hospitalized after being released from jail. He is now out on bond.
Charges on Both Sides of the Encounter
DeLaRosa was charged with aggravated assault, resisting arrest, and loitering and prowling at night in connection with the incident, per the same CBS News account. Under Pennsylvania law, aggravated assault against a police officer acting in the line of duty is a felony, carrying up to 10 years in prison as a second-degree felony or up to 20 years if serious bodily injury results, according to Title 18 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes. Resisting arrest under the same code is a second-degree misdemeanor punishable by up to two years in prison when a suspect creates a substantial risk of injury or requires substantial force to overcome.
DeLaRosa has been arrested and convicted repeatedly over the past two decades for drug possession, disorderly conduct, and fights, dating back to at least 2006, the CBS News report notes. He was also previously arrested in March 2005 during a 22-person citywide drug sweep in neighboring Arnold, where he was charged at age 34 with drug offenses and theft, according to TribLIVE.
City Refers Case to County Prosecutors
City Clerk John Zavadak said the city is reviewing the issue and has referred it to the Westmoreland County District Attorney's Office for investigation. That office, led by District Attorney Nicole W. Ziccarelli, conducts independent legal reviews of police force incidents in county municipalities, evaluating compliance with Section 508 of the Pennsylvania Crimes Code, which permits physical force only when an officer reasonably believes it necessary to prevent death or serious bodily harm.
Cochran has been a New Kensington police officer for three years. He joined the department in April 2023 after being unanimously hired by City Council the previous month at a starting annual salary of $55,194, having previously served with the Somerset Borough Police Department, according to TribLIVE's coverage of his hiring. The New Kensington Police Department is authorized to employ up to 27 full-time officers to patrol a city of roughly 12,000 residents, and it was operating with a 24-officer roster as of spring 2023.
A Department With Prior Discipline History
This is not the first time the department has placed an officer on leave pending investigation. In October 2020, Police Chief Bob Deringer put a different officer on administrative leave after off-duty criminal charges were filed against him, as reported by CBS News Pittsburgh at the time.
The department also carries the memory of tragedy in its recent history. In November 2024, the community marked seven years since Officer Brian Shaw, 25, was fatally shot during a vehicle stop just five months after joining the force, an event that has shaped local officer safety protocols during routine stops. It remains an open question whether video footage exists to corroborate the sequence of events in the DeLaRosa confrontation, and whether Cochran will face criminal charges or internal discipline once the district attorney's review concludes.
