Schuylkill Haven Man Thwarts Attempted Carjacking in Cressona

 

Last week, we reported on a Lackawanna County man arrested by State Police for smashing windows on vehicles parked outside a Pottsville area nursing home.

In that report, we indicated that Ryan Tomczyk, 35, of Old Forge, was sitting in Schuylkill County Prison on more serious charges. Today, we’ve learned details on those charges.

Police say about an hour prior to them catching up with Tomczyk near the Green Valley Skilled Nursing home along Gordon Nagle Trail, Norwegian Twp., he was involved in an attempted carjacking.

At about 5 a.m. on N. Sillyman St. in Cressona, police say Tomczyk approached a 63-year-old Schuylkill Haven man and asked him for a ride. The Haven man refused, locked his vehicle, a Toyota Sienna van, and walked away from Tomczyk.

That didn’t sit well with Tomczyk, who then clocked the Haven man in the head. Tomczyk took the man’s vehicle keys and tried to get away with his ride, police say.

However, the Haven man was able to get his keys back off Tomczyk, ripping them out of the ignition. Tomczyk then ran away from the scene on foot.

About an hour later, Tomczyk was reportedly at the nursing home facility along Gordon Nagle Trail where he is suspected of smashing the windows on several vehicles owned by locals with a rock. He then allegedly whipped rocks at the nursing home itself.

Tomczyk tried getting away from that scene but police eventually caught up to him and took him into custody.

The Old Forge man has been in Schuylkill County Prison since Dec. 14, awaiting a preliminary hearing scheduled for this afternoon before District Judge Richard Cashman, according to court papers.

For the attempted carjacking, Tomczyk faces felony charges of attempted robbery of a motor vehicle, robbery with bodily injury, robbery by force, and attempted theft. He also faces a felony charge for criminal mischief for smashing the vehicle windows at the nursing home.

He was unable to post the $25,000 cash bail.

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