Falls Township Police were dispatched to the Morrisville section of the township for a report of a vehicular domestic dispute last Friday. taking a Hulmeville man into custody accused of strangling the other victim, said police.
Police were dispatched last Friday at 11:45 p.m. to the southbound Route 1 just south of Route 32. The officer observed both parties had injuries. The victim was driving and the argument became heated, she pulled the vehicle over to the shoulder of the road, shown in the criminal complaint.
The argument continued and the man, identified as Elias Rivera, 19 of Hulmeville, allegedly grabbed the victim by the neck with his left hand and began to choke her. He then started choking her with both hands. The victim tried to stop the choking by taking her keys and hitting him. She struck him in the face, causing a small cut under his left eye, police said.
When Rivera stopped choking her, she told him she was calling the police. Upon hearing what that, he punched the rearview mirror causing it to break. The force caused the windshield to spider crack, said in the probable cause.
On the victim’s neck, there was black and blue bruises on the left side and scratches on the right side. These injuries caused her pain and she was evaluated on the scene by the paramedics, said police.
Rivera was charged with a felony count of strangulation and three lesser charges associated with the domestic dispute.
He was arraigned by on-call Magisterial District Judge Lisa J. Gaier. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for August 7, 2024, according to court documents.