Police say they’ve identified and charged the “chunky” Schuylkill County man who allegedly waved an ax at a motorist during a December road rage incident on Route 61. In fact, police say, Salvatore Mazza, 47, of Pottsville, was identified by the victim hours later when they both attended the same family party.
Mazza now faces charges following the Dec. 27 altercation that began on Route 61 near Saint Clair and ended in Frackville Borough, investigators wrote.
The incident began when the victim says she was traveling north on the highway near Saint Clair and slowed her vehicle to 35 mph after a white Kia SUV drove up “on her butt”. Police say the driver of the Kia, later identified as Mazza, began waving an ax out of his window and continued to do so as the vehicles traveled up the highway.
The confrontation escalated when the victim stopped for a red light at the intersection of N. Lehigh Ave. and Spring St. in Frackville. Mazza allegedly stopped behind the victim, got out of his vehicle, and walked toward her car while holding the ax in the air. The victim drove through the red light to find a safe location and await police.
The victim described the suspect to investigators as an approximately 6-foot-tall man with a “chunky build,” short dark hair, and glasses. She also noted there was a blonde female passenger in the SUV. In their criminal complaint filed in District Court, police list Mazza as standing 5-11 and weighing 250 pounds.
Following an anonymous tip and a search of partial license plate records, police say they eventually linked the vehicle to Mazza, whose driver’s license photo matched the victim’s description. They contacted the registered owner of the Kia, the victim’s sister. The owner told police she allows her daughter’s boyfriend, Mazza, to drive the vehicle.
After the ax-wielding incident, police say the victim attended a family get-together. At the gathering, the victim’s niece began recounting the road rage incident, noting that she had been the passenger in the Kia. The victim then informed her niece that she was the other driver involved.
Approximately 45 minutes later at the same party, Mazza allegedly attempted to apologize to the victim. The victim then positively identified Mazza as the man who waved the ax at her.
Police have charged Mazza with misdemeanor counts of making terroristic threats, simple assault, disorderly conduct, and harassment, as well as summary counts of disorderly conduct and harassment. He’s been ordered to appear before Magisterial District Court Judge Edward Tarantelli on March 11.
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