UPDATED: Driver Had Windshield Repaired After Striking 70-Year-Old Man, Cops Say

UPDATED: 8:32 p.m., Tuesday: 

Before District Judge John Kelly late Tuesday afternoon, Anthony M. Woods shook his head as the magistrate read in the charges he was facing.

Woods, 41, of Falls Township’s Fallsington section, was arraigned by Kelly on charges of third-degree murder, leaving the scene of an accident involving death or injury, homicide by vehicle, recklessly endangering another person, possession of drug paraphernalia, false reports to law enforcement authorities and a number summary driving offenses in the death of 70-year-old Levittown resident Emanuel “Manny” Weintraub.

Woods, according to court papers, was driving the dark-colored car that went around another vehicle that had stopped to let Weintraub go at the crosswalk. As he went around the vehicle, Woods struck Weintraub while the retired postal worker crossed New Falls Road at a crosswalk outside Jo-Jo’s Ice Cream and Water Ice. The impact just after 9 p.m. last Tuesday threw Weintraub about 20 feet in the air and Woods continued driving toward Hood Boulevard.

Weintraub, who walked with a cane, was rushed to St. Mary Medical Center in Middletown and was pronounced dead about an hour after the crash.

In court papers, police said Weintraub had lacerations to his head and had major trauma to his one leg. The lacerations on his head were believed to have come from where the 70 year old hit the windshield of the striking vehicle.

Investigators used surveillance video and witness statements to get a fuller picture of the incident. The images were released to news organizations and on social media as police sought tips on the striking vehicle, which was missing a hubcap.

Police did not detail in court papers how investigators came to focus on Woods.

In his first interview with police, Woods allegedly said the windshield to his 2007 Nissan Altima was damaged when he traveled to Philadelphia while “copping drugs.” He also admitted to “immediately shooting up (heroin) while driving home” from Philadelphia.

The windshield was repaired at a shop in Trenton the day after the crash and Woods obtained a hubcap to replace the one that was missing from his car, police said.

The owner of the repair shop told authorities Woods called after speaking with police and asked him to throw away the receipt from the work and not speak to investigators.

On Monday, police executed a search warrant at the home on Nottingham Court where Woods lived with his parents. They recovered several empty bags of heroin and a receipt from the windshield repair, according to court papers.

Woods parents said their son called them after police searched their home Monday and admitted he killed someone. Woods father urged him to turn himself in but the 41 year old advised he would do it Tuesday.

During a videotaped interview with police Tuesday, Woods said he was the driver of the car that struck Weintraub. He further added he struck the man while driving around the vehicle that slowed down at the crosswalk.

“The defendant did not know that he had hit just hit a person but believed he had struck a kid and not an adult,” court papers stated.

Woods said before the district judge Tuesday afternoon that he has lived with his parents for nearly all of his life and was unemployed. He said he recently was fired from a job at Amazon after he failed a drug test.

A member of Weintraub’s family told LevittownNow.com they were relieved Woods had been arrested for their father’s death.

Weintraub’s wife, Charlotte, said last week that the two spent the past 30 years together and he had just purchased an anniversary gift to surprise her. She only found the gift as she dealt with her husband’s death.

Kelly did not set bail due to the murder charge. Constables Chuck Benhayon and Mike Hammar took Woods to the Bucks County Correctional Facility.

A post shared by LevittownNow.com (@levittownnownews) on Aug 28, 2018 at 6:19pm PDT

 

Original Post: 

The man who allegedly continued driving after he stuck a 70-year-old retired postal worker along New Falls Road last week has been arrested.

The man – Anthony M. Woods, 41, of Falls Township – has been charged with third degree murder, homicide by vehicle, and a number of related offenses.

Emmanuel Weintraub was struck last Tuesday around 9:10 p.m. after enjoying ice cream outside Jo-Jo’s Ice Cream and Water Ice on New Falls Road in Falls Township’s Levittown section. He was pronounced dead shortly after at a nearby hospital.

Woods drove the dark-colored vehicle that struck Weintraub as he crossed the roadway to get to his car, police said.

Weintraub’s family was alerted that police had a suspect hours before the arraignment.

Woods’ vehicle was taken for examination Monday.

During the investigation, Woods, a drug user, allegedly lied to police.

Woods’ was sent to prison following a 4:45 p.m. Tuesday arraignment before District Judge John Kelly. Due to the seriousness of the offense, no bail amount was set.

Editor’s Note: All individuals arrested or charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty. The story was compiled using information from police and public court documents.

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