Bucks County District Attorney Matt Weintraub at a Monday afternoon press conference urged the the driver who fled the scene following Sunday’s deadly crash at a Bristol Township McDonald’s to turn himself in to authorities.
The victim is identified as Jason A. Smith 47 years of age From Easton PA recently moved to Levittown. He was driving his White Nissan Maxima just prior to incident, Police said Monday afternoon.
Before being struck, Smith and the driver of the truck were involved in some type of brief altercation in the parking lot, Weintraub said.
The specifics of the altercation were not clear, Weintraub said, but added that Smith, after parking his vehicle went to the back of it and retrieved “an object of some kind” before he was run over by the pickup truck.
Authorities recovered a carpenters hammer near Smith’s body at the incident scene.
Weintraub said the possibility exists the driver of the pickup truck could have believed they’re life was in danger at the time of striking Smith and fleeing north on Route 13 towards Tullytown Borough.
Credit: YouTube Screenshot
“We need help with two things,” Weintraub said “identifying the pickup truck….and asking the driver to turn him/herself into authorities.”
“We have neither ruled out, a legal self-defense claim, not the belief that the drive leaving the scene due to immediate safety concerns may have been justified under the circumstances. This is all open, he said.
The striking vehicle is possibly a gray Chevrolet Silverado 4-door pickup truck, approximately a 2013 model, with a 4×4 sticker on both sides of the bed, black rims, and a front vanity license plate. The truck may be missing an oval shaped black plastic trim piece, described as an end cap for the driver side running board.
Friends of Smith’s reached out to this publication on Sunday and today, describing him as a “quiet good dude” who wasn’t in any way, confrontational.
Anyone who has information about this incident is asked to contact Detective Patrick Kitchenman of The Bristol Township Police Department at 267-812-3056 or by email at pkitchenman160@bristolpd.org. You can also submit an anonymous tip by clicking here.
The full 12 1/2 minute press conference can be seen by clicking the link below.
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