Man Stole Dump Truck In Newtown, Fled Down Highway: Police

NEWTOWN, PA — A Virginia man was charged with robbery of a motor vehicle after he stole a fully loaded, tri-axle dump truck and hopped on Interstate 95, according to the Newtown Township Police Department.

At around 10:45 a.m. Tuesday morning, a man walked out of the BB&T Bank on Newtown Yardley Road and approached several vehicles that were stopped at a red light on the Newtown Bypass, according to police.

The man tried to open the driver's side door of one of the vehicles, but the female driver was able to accelerate through the intersection. He then tried breaking into other vehicles, prompting a dump truck driver who was nearby to pull over to call 911 and confront the man. An altercation ensued, and the man stole the fully loaded dump truck and drove off toward Interstate 295, police said.

Newtown police notified all police departments in Bucks County of the theft as well as the Philadelphia Police Department, Pennsylvania State Police and the New Jersey State Police, the department said.

A short time later, the Bucks County Emergency Communications Center began receiving 911 calls for a dump truck driving erratically on Interstate 95 at a high rate of speed. State police caught up with the vehicle on the Street Road exit in Bensalem Township.

Joseph Anthony Gonzales, 24, of Ruckersville, Virginia, was charged with several felonies, including robbery of a motor vehicle, theft of a motor vehicle, receiving stolen property and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle.

Gonzales was arraigned by Judge Michael Petrucci, who set bail at $1,000,000. A preliminary hearing in the case is scheduled for Jan. 18.

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