A Chester County Man sitting in his car, accidentally fired a gun that was in his lap causing a gun shot wound and arrest for illegally possessing a concealed firearm.

Bensalem Township Police were alerted by the Bucks County Emergency Operator  that a man presented at Aria Hospital just after 1:30 a.m. last Tuesday morning with a gun shot wound to his left leg. Philadelphia Police further advise Bensalem authorities that the man, identified as  Matthew Sockoloskie, 31 of Cochranville, Pennsylvania was dropped off at the hospital by an unidentified woman. 

Based upon some general location information provided by Sockoloskie, Philadelphia authorities set out to locate a possible crime scene. The injured man told them the incident occurred around 12 am that night near a Wawa close to U.S Route 1.

Meanwhile, Bensalem investigators interviewed Sockoloskie in the Emergency Room and he provided a more detailed description of the area in which he shot himself.  He was able to pick the area out through the use of Google Maps, recognizing the Wawa located on the 3600 block of Street Road, police wrote in court documents.

Sockoloskie told police he was in a grey Dodge Dart in the drivers seat fondling the firearm when it “inexplicably went off,” leaving a gun shot wound in the upper thigh of his left leg. The Chester County man told police he switched seats with his girlfriend who drove him to the hospital dropping him off because he said hospital staff told her due to COVID-19 precautions she could not stay in the emergency room with him, according to police.

Sockoloskie refused to provide police with the identity of his girlfriend and also told authorities there were two other witnesses in the vehicle when he accidentally shot himself but declined to provide police their names also, according to the probable cause affidavit.

Police collected evidence from the emergency room and took pictures of  Sockoloskie’s gun shot wound, court records show.

Approximately one -hour later, a Bensalem Police Sgt on patrol spotted a grey Dodge Dart in the parking lot of the Sleep Inn Hotel on the 3400 block of Street Road. The Patrolling Sgt ran a registration check on the motor vehicle which came back listing Sockoloskie as the owner.

The eagle eyed Sgt then spoke with hotel staff who revealed the  current occupants of room 306 were affiliated with the vehicle and in were in the room. Authorities interviewed the two occupants.

Sockoloskie’s girlfriend confirmed for police the essentials of the suspects story- that he accidentally shot himself, telling police the hand gun was still in the vehicle underneath the passenger seat put there by suspect.

Further investigation revealed Sockoloskie does not own a license to carry a concealed weapon in Pennsylvania and was charged by mail summons for carrying the fire arm without a license.

He is scheduled to appear in Bensalem District Court on May 6.