PHILIPSBURG – A 20-year-old Philipsburg man will face charges after being involved in hit-and-run accidents while under the influence and fleeing from the scenes on Thursday in Philipsburg Borough.
According to the state police at Philipsburg, at approximately 4:25 a.m. Thursday, they responded to a hit-and-run accident at the intersection of Ninth and Pine streets. The suspect had allegedly driven his 2002 Ford Taurus south on Ninth Street, where he turned right onto Pine Street and traveled in the wrong direction on a one-way street.
The suspect sideswiped a 1997 Ford Escort that was sitting at the red light on Pine Street. He fled the scene and continued in the wrong direction on Pine Street. Approximately one-and-a-half blocks later, the suspect traveled off the south berm and impacted a utility pole. This caused disabling damage to his vehicle, and he fled on foot. While state police were investigating the accident, they received information about a man who attempted to enter a residence along Fourth Street. State police cleared the accident scene and located the man at the residence.
The man had smashed out a window to the front entry door. Inside the residence, state police took the hit-and-run suspect into custody and transported him to the accident scene, where he was positively identified by the victims. He was subsequently transported to the Mount Nittany Medical Center and consented to a blood test.
Another victim contacted state police to report a hit-and-run accident that had occurred overnight. The victim had parked his 2012 Chevrolet Silverado along East Laurel Street in Philipsburg Borough. State police responded and determined that the suspect vehicle from the previous incidents had caused the damage.
No injuries occurred as a result of the hit-and-run accidents, state police said. The suspect will be charged with driving under the influence, criminal trespass, criminal mischief, resisting arrest, public drunkenness, disorderly conduct, underage drinking and numerous other traffic offenses.