A Sunday morning bike ride through Washington Township turned into a knife attack, according to police, after a 56-year-old man allegedly threw an object at a passing Tesla and then lunged at the driver through an open window. William H. Greene was taken into custody and remained in Salem County Jail as of Tuesday, facing charges that include aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
According to NBC10 Philadelphia, police said Greene, of Washington Township, threw an object at the side of a Tesla, according to an account the driver gave officers. Washington Township police responded to the area of Wilson and Bryant roads for a reported bicycle crash around 10:50 a.m. Sunday, according to WPG Talk Radio 95.5 FM, which detailed the department's account of the confrontation.
Driver Says He Stopped to Confront the Bicyclist
Police said the Tesla driver stopped near Wilson Road and Bryant Road and rolled down his window to confront Greene after the object struck his car, per the NBC10 report. The driver told police that Greene yelled profanities and approached the driver's side of the vehicle, according to the station's account. From there, the situation escalated quickly: the driver said Greene produced a knife and lunged toward him through the open window, per the same account.
Police said Greene lunged at the driver with a knife and got his hand and the knife through the driver's-side window. The driver told police he tried to drive away out of fear for his safety. As the Tesla pulled off, it struck Greene's bicycle, causing him to fall to the ground, police said.
Witness Describes Spitting and a Heated Exchange
A nearby witness told police they saw the bicyclist approach and spit on the Tesla, then engage in a heated confrontation with the driver before he accelerated away, according to the station's report. Investigating officers later recovered a silver pocketknife matching the driver's description and secured it as evidence, per WPG Talk Radio.
Greene was taken into custody, and a knife was recovered, NBC10 reported. He was arrested and charged with third-degree aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, simple assault as a disorderly persons offense, and third-degree terroristic threats, according to the Washington Township Police Department's account relayed by WPG Talk Radio. The outlet's report said Greene remained in Salem County Jail as of Tuesday.
What New Jersey Law Says About the Assault Charge
New Jersey's aggravated assault statute includes language covering a person who attempts to cause or purposely or knowingly causes bodily injury to another with a deadly weapon, or who recklessly causes such injury with a deadly weapon, according to the New Jersey Legislature. The excerpt of the statute does not spell out every element of the offense, so it should not be read as a complete description of what prosecutors must prove.
The Washington Township Police Department's Detective Bureau asked anyone with information about the incident to contact the bureau at (856) 589-0330, according to WPG Talk Radio's report. As with any criminal case, the charges against Greene are accusations, and he is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
