Tip Led To Arrest Of NJ Man Accused Of Running Over Man In Levittown Parking Lot, Authorities Say

An affidavit of probable cause filed by detectives from the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office and Bristol Township police revealed new details Monday on the arrest of a 45-year-old New Jersey man who allegedly ran over a Levittown man last month.

Court papers showed that defendant Daniel Dietrich, 45, of Palmyra, New Jersey, was driving on a suspended license and had an active arrest warrant out of New Jersey in his name at the time of the incident.

Dietrich ran over and killed Jason Smith, 47, who recently moved from Easton to Levittown, in the parking lot of the McDonald’s along Route 13 in his four-door gray Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck on the late afternoon of February 5. Detectives said Dietrich was behind the wheel and fled the scene without alerting authorities he hit a person.

Dietrich was charged last Friday with homicide and accidents involving death, and a traffic offense. District Judge Kevin Wagner preliminarily arraigned him and held him in the county lockup without bail due to the homicide charge.

The two men were involved in a rolling road-rage incident that began along Route 13 before the two men in separate vehicles arrived at the McDonald’s restaurant, according to the investigation into the hit-and-run fatal crash.

Security camera footage showed Dietrich following Smith into the McDonald’s parking lot from the Haines Road entrance off Route 13, authorities said.

Dietrich blocked the entrance for other vehicles by pulling his truck along Smith’s Nissan’s right side and stopped there moments later, according to authorities.

Smith tried to move forward, but Dietrich swung his truck in front of him, blocking his car, authorities said.

Dietrich maneuvered his truck in front of Smith, blocking Smith’s possible forward motion. He then backed into a parking spot, so that the front of his truck is angled toward the north side of the parking lot and away from where he entered the McDonald’s parking lot.

The video showed that Smith pulled up to the curb, parked, got out, and went to his trunk to get a construction-style hammer. Smith started to get close to the front of Dietrich’s truck, but when he did, Dietrich accelerated in his direction and slammed into the man who was holding the hammer, authorities said.

Smith was knocked to the ground by the truck’s front side. Smith was run over by both the front and rear driver’s side wheels of Dietrich’s vehicle as the New Jersey man continued to make the sharp left turn, authorities said.

Without slowing down, Dietrich in his pickup truck exited the McDonald’s parking lot and went onto Route 13 in the direction of Tullytown Borough, authorities said.

“The surveillance footage also revealed that Dietrich had an alternative, clear exit out of the parking spot by driving to the right. Dietrich could have driven his truck to the right and out of the parking spot to avoid striking and running over Smith,” the district attorney’s office said in a statement.

Investigators said Smith suffered “major injuries” and was taken to Jefferson Torresdale Hospital in Philadelphia. He was pronounced dead.

Following the death, LevittownNow.com and numerous other news outlets covered the incident. Bucks County District Attorney Matt Weintraub called for tips from the public.

Last Thursday, a tip was reported to police on the pickup truck and investigators began surveillance in Palmyra, New Jersey. Dietrich was spotted entering the vehicle, which had damage remaining from the fatal hit-and-run crash, authorities said.

Authorities from New Jersey and Bucks County took Dietrich into custody on his New Jersey arrest warrant. He was taken to the Palmyra Township Police Department for an interview.

Dietrich described the road-rage incident and what happened at the McDonald’s eatery. He said he saw Smith grab what he thought was a crowbar, pipe, or hammer and approach, according to authorities.

Differing from what security footage showed, Dietrich said Smith was the one who followed him into the McDonald’s parking lot, authorities said.

Dietrich admitted to striking Smith and leaving, but he noted he only thought he ran over the man’s foot, authorities said.

Dietrich reportedly explained to detectives he didn’t call the police because his driver’s license was suspended.

Elise Poore, Smith’s fiancée, carried out a series of interviews recently and called for the striking driver to turn themselves in.

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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