Pennsylvania State Police say a 47-year-old Allentown man opened fire on another vehicle from the driver's-side window of his truck on westbound Route 22 in Whitehall Township Tuesday morning, then sped off before troopers tracked him down. Omar Colon now faces four felony charges and two misdemeanor offenses in connection with the gunfire, which struck a vehicle but left no one injured.
Troopers Responded Before Dawn Rush Hour
Troopers from the Bethlehem barracks responded around 6:36 a.m. Tuesday to a reported shooting on westbound Route 22 near Fullerton Avenue in Whitehall Township, according to Daily Voice. Investigators said Colon was behind the wheel of a 2020 Ford Raptor when he allegedly pulled out a handgun and fired from the driver's side window, striking another vehicle traveling nearby. No injuries were reported, despite the vehicle being hit, as reported by WFMZ.com.
After the shooting, Colon fled the scene, but troopers eventually caught up with him and made an arrest, the station's report states. He now faces four felony charges and two misdemeanor offenses, though police have not detailed exactly what those charges are. His bail was set at $100,000.
Investigation Still Light on Motive
The Pennsylvania State Police Bethlehem Criminal Investigation Unit is handling the case, per the same account, but additional details about what led to the shooting have not been immediately released. It remains unclear what prompted Colon to allegedly open fire on the other vehicle, and investigators have not said whether the two drivers knew each other.
Route 22 Has Seen Gunfire Before
Tuesday's shooting is not the first time gunfire has erupted along the Route 22 corridor in Whitehall Township. In one earlier case, troopers responded to Route 22 East near MacArthur Road around 3:15 p.m. after a vehicle was struck by gunfire, with state police saying an unknown occupant in the right lane shot at a car in the left lane, hitting its driver, according to WFMZ.com. That driver was taken to a hospital with injuries, and state police had not provided an update on the victim's condition.
In another separate Whitehall Township case, a road-rage incident that began on Route 22 reportedly continued to the intersection of Third and Grape Streets, where a child under the age of 13 was shot; authorities said the child was expected to survive, per the same outlet's reporting. And in a case covered by 6abc, police said they believed road rage may have led to a double shooting on the 1100 block of Fullerton Avenue, with both adults taken to a hospital and expected to be okay.
