New York man facing charges in hit-and-run crash on I-78 in Berks

Feb. 13—A New York man accused of fleeing the scene of a crash on Interstate 78 in northeastern Berks County — but getting only as far as across the Lehigh County line before his damaged car broke down — will face hit-and-run charges in Berks court.

Michael Freeman, 44, of Bronx remained free to await further action following his preliminary hearing this week before Hamburg District Judge Kim L. Bagenstose, who ruled there was enough evidence to advance the case to Berks County Court.

Those charges include causing an accident involving death or personal injury, failing to render aid, failing to stop and render aid, reckless driving and providing false information concerning an accident.

State police at Hamburg filed the charges May 26 following an investigation of the May 7 crash and events that followed.

According to investigators:

A West Virginia man was driving east in the right lane of I-78 in Greenwich Township with his parents as the passengers about 2 p.m. He said he saw in his rearview mirror a fast-approaching black SUV.

Despite accelerating, he was hit from behind. He managed to regain control of the car and pull onto the shoulder.

The SUV that struck him stopped briefly before moving into the left lane and continuing eastbound. The victim saw the face of the male SUV driver through his rearview mirror.

As the SUV passed, he noticed the vehicle carried a Cadillac emblem and a New York license plate. He said the driver made an obscene gesture as it fled past his car, which was disabled by the crash.

Trooper Ryan Zimmerman saw heavy rear-end damage to the car. He noticed the bracket of a front license plate was wedged between the bumper and trunk of the car. When he removed it, he saw the bracket held a New York license plate for a black Cadillac XT5 registered to a Bronx woman.

Based on the amount of damage to the car, Zimmerman believed the Cadillac must have sustained disabling damage and couldn't have traveled very far.

No broken-down vehicles were located in the coverage area for the Hamburg barracks, and he tried several times to make phone contact with the Cadillac's owner.

A search of the state police records management system, however, revealed a report generated about 2:30 p.m., a little more than 30 minutes after the Greenwich crash, for a disabled Cadillac SUV on the interstate eastbound in Lehigh County, just past the Allentown exits.

According to the report, the driver, identified as Michael Freeman, contacted state police for help getting a tow truck due to vehicle issues.

A trooper from the station in Fogelsville, Lehigh County, responded along with a towing contractor. That trooper later told Zimmerman that he arrived to find the Cadillac with its hood up and leaking fluids. When asked what happened, Freeman told the trooper the radiator hose ruptured and caused the vehicle to stop working.

The Fogelsville trooper saw what appeared to be fresh front-end damage, but Freeman told him the damage was from an old accident.

Zimmerman eventually made contact with the vehicle's owner, who was Freeman's girlfriend. She said she was out of town and came home to find her car damaged and inoperable.

The woman said she asked Freeman what happened and he said a friend's friend was driving the car and hit something.

The woman said Freeman told her that he would get the Cadillac repaired.

On May 10, three days after the crash, Freeman spoke to the trooper and insisted he had loaned the car to a female acquaintance. He said she got into an accident so he drove from Bronx to meet her at the disabled car.

Zimmerman pointed out that the trooper who responded to his call for towing assistance noted that Freeman was alone at the scene. Furthermore, it would have been impossible for Freeman to have driven to the scene from the time he stated he was called by the friend and the time he arrived and called for assistance.