A Reading homicide suspect allegedly made it as far as a New Jersey airport Sunday night—then authorities intercepted him before his flight to the Dominican Republic could leave. Federico Perez Polanco, 43, is now awaiting extradition to Pennsylvania in connection with a fatal shooting that left a 32-year-old man dead.
Police said the shooting happened around 3:40 a.m. in the 1400 block of North 5th Street, where the victim was shot multiple times and pronounced dead by medics. As reported by CBS Philadelphia, Polanco is expected to face first-degree murder charges, and investigators said he fled to New Jersey before booking the Sunday-night flight.
What First-Degree Murder Means In Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania law defines first-degree murder as an intentional killing, but the accusation against Polanco has not been tested in court. An arrest is not a conviction, and he is presumed innocent unless prosecutors prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt, as outlined in the Pennsylvania criminal code.
Authorities Say Suspect Was Stopped Before Takeoff
At the airport, Polanco was taken into custody by the U.S. Marshals Service, Homeland Security Investigations and the Transportation Security Administration, according to CBS Philadelphia. Reading Mayor Eddie Morán called the arrest an “important step toward justice” while offering condolences to the victim’s family, and police are asking anyone with information about the shooting to contact the department.
