A Schuylkill County man sentenced in May to two years of probation for fleeing the scene of a Route 183 crash that injured a woman is charged again, this time after State Police say he took a friend’s Jeep without permission and wrecked it in Blythe Township with his girlfriend inside.
James Ulrich Jr., 32, of New Philadelphia, faces 23 charges filed by State Police-Frackville, including misdemeanor counts of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, accidents involving death or personal injury, and accidents involving death or injury while not licensed. The other 20 counts are summary offenses, among them driving while operating privilege is suspended, reckless driving, careless driving, abandonment of a vehicle, and driving without a license.
Trooper Nickolas Price was dispatched around 2:30 p.m. July 9 to the area of 732 Mountain Road, Blythe Township, for a reported crash. He arrived around 3 p.m. and found a white 2000 Jeep Cherokee in the woods on the east side of the roadway, resting on its passenger side against a tree with heavy damage all around, Price said. No one was there.
The Jeep had an inspection sticker that expired in April 2024, no registration plate and multiple open, empty beer cans inside, Price said. The driver’s seat belt was locked against the pillar, which the trooper said indicated the driver had not been wearing it at the time of the crash.
About 40 minutes later, Price was told that the Jeep’s owner had contacted State Police to report the vehicle stolen. A check of the vehicle identification number showed the Jeep was not registered, the Trooper said.
The owner arrived at the crash scene shortly before 4 p.m. with a friend. He told police he had left the Jeep parked on Wiggan St. at the dead end near the creek in New Philadelphia. The Jeep has a busted ignition and can be started with a screwdriver, and the keys were not in it, he said. He described the Jeep as unlocked because it has no rear hatch, making it easy to get into regardless, and said it is not insured or registered.
Earlier that day, the owner said, he contacted Ulrich, a friend, and asked if he could help him put air in a tire. He went to Ulrich’s mother’s house, put air in the tire, then left, put the tire on the Jeep and went home, he told police. Ulrich asked if they could get out in the Jeep, and the owner said they could, but not until later because he had work he needed to do on it.
The owner told police he did not give Ulrich permission to drive the Jeep at all that day. He had let Ulrich drive it previously, but only if he was with him, and he had not let Ulrich drive it for a period of time because of previous damage Ulrich caused to it, he said. He does not let Ulrich drive on the road because Ulrich does not have a license, he told police.
The owner said he was at home when he received a picture of the crashed Jeep, then called police and messaged a friend on Facebook Messenger for a ride to the scene. He has service only through TextNow and can use social media only when he has WiFi, he told police, and he could not have been in the Jeep or at the scene of the crash because there is no WiFi at that location.
The friend who drove him to the scene told police he had Ulrich’s location through Life360 and provided screenshots of a location path traveling from New Philadelphia to the crash scene. That corroborated the information the friend provided, Price said.
While Price was on scene, State Police-Schuylkill Haven were dispatched around 3:40 p.m. to a reported crash along Second Mountain Rd., West Brunswick Township. Trooper Trey Foster responded and made contact with a woman identified as Ulrich’s girlfriend, who told him she was in the Jeep during the crash.
The woman said she was traveling in the Jeep with Ulrich, who was driving, and that he crashed it in the area of R.E. Pierson, according to Foster. A friend of Ulrich’s came to pick them up afterward, and while they were traveling, Ulrich and that friend made her get out of the car, she told the Trooper. She said she began walking and flagged down a passerby for assistance.
The woman told Foster she believed the Jeep belonged to a friend of Ulrich’s, that she had shoulder pain and that her mother was going to take her to the hospital. She also said Ulrich left his cellphone in the Jeep.
Around 4 p.m., Ulrich’s mother arrived at the crash scene and told police she had been trying to call her son. His cellphone could be heard ringing inside the Jeep, Price said.
A query of Ulrich’s driving record showed a suspended Pennsylvania driver’s license with three prior convictions for driving while suspended, according to police.
The new charges come two months after Ulrich was sentenced in the Route 183 Dumpster Dudez crash case. On May 7, he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of accidents involving death or personal injury and was sentenced by Judge Christina Hale to two years of probation, court records show. He was ordered to complete 20 hours of community service and to have no contact with the victim in that case.
That case stemmed from a Jan. 15 crash near the R&J Transportation headquarters along Route 183 outside Cressona. Police say Ulrich was driving a Dumpster Dudez truck that crashed into a vehicle with a woman inside, several parked vehicles at a nearby business and a utility pole. The woman had to be extracted from her vehicle by cutting off its roof, investigators said. Ulrich left the scene at the direction of George Keller, 54, of Bernville, who then arrived and claimed to have been the driver, police allege. Keller was charged in February with filing a false report, knowingly giving police misleading information and obstruction. Ulrich had been free on $50,000 unsecured bail in that case.
Ulrich is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing on the new charges on Sept. 1 before Magisterial District Judge Edward Lewis.
RELATED:
New and Amended Charges in the Route 183 Dumpster Dudez Crash Case
More From Coal Region Canary
See all stories ›
Flood Watch Issued for Schuylkill County on Thursday
4 hours ago
Nabholz Has Allowed Just 1 Earned Run in 5 Appearances Since Promotion to Eugene
12 hours ago
Schuylkill County Man Used Brother’s Name During Traffic Stop Because He’d Been Sentenced to Jail for Driving on a Suspended License
13 hours ago
Barton Cards Sub-70 Round to Pace Haven; Blue Mountain Sweeps Tri-Match
15 hours ago
PennDOT to Host Winter Job Fair in Schuylkill County
17 hours ago
Schuylkill County Man Wanted After Police Say He Traded Nude Photos With 16-Year-Old
18 hours agoSubscribe to Coal Region Canary
Get email updates from Coal Region Canary by becoming a subscriber today. Just enter your email address below to get started!Support Coal Region Canary
Like our reporting and want to support truly local news in Schuylkill County? Your small donations help. For as little as $5, your contribution will allow us to cover more news that directly affects you. Consider donating today by hitting the big yellow button below ...