UPDATED: Tip Led To Arrest Of NJ Man Accused Of Running Over Man In Levittown Parking Lot, Authorities Say
A man has been arrested for the hit-and-run death of a man outside a Bristol Township McDonald’s early last month.
The Bucks County District Attorney’s Office confirmed an arrest and said a press conference would be held Monday morning on the matter. The office didn’t release more information on the arrest as of Sunday.
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According to court papers, Daniel Dietrich, 45 of Palmyra, New Jersey, was charged with homicide and accidents involving death, and a traffic offense. A source confirmed to LevittownNow.com the arrest of Dietrich was related to Smith’s death.
District Judge Kevin Wagner preliminarily arraigned Dietrich on Friday and the 45-year-old man was held without bail due to the homicide charge, according to court records.
Jason Smith, 47, who recently moved from Easton to Levittown, was run over outside the McDonald’s along Route 13 by a four-door gray Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck on the afternoon of February 5.
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The pickup truck ran over Smith, “never stopping or slowing down,” Bucks County District Attorney Matt Weintraub said at a press conference after the incident.
A hammer was found next to Smith’s body and it is suspected he pulled the hammer from his vehicle, but a full accounting of what lead to the fatal strike was not released.
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Elise Poore, Smith’s fiancée, recently posted to social media and did a TV news interview calling for the striking driver to turn themselves in.
“You really need to turn yourself in,” Poore said in a CBS News Philadelphia interview. “I don’t know how you sleep at night, because I don’t sleep at night, and I’m sure his family doesn’t.”
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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