Passerby's 9-1-1 Call Leads To Arrest After Woman Held Against Will, Troopers Say

A Levittown man was arrested by Pennsylvania State Police after they say he assaulted a woman and held her against her will last month.

James Paul Paulachok, 26, was charged with numerous offenses, including aggravated assault, robbery of a motor vehicle, unlawful restraint, false imprisonment, and simple assault. He was preliminarily arraigned by District Judge Daniel Finello and sent to the Bucks County Correctional Facility on 10 percent of $100,000 bail.

The situation came to the attention of state police on Aug. 17 at 5:20 a.m. when a passenger in a vehicle on the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Bristol Township called 9-1-1 to report what she believed was a kidnapping. The caller told a dispatcher that she had passed a black SUV on the shoulder of the Turnpike and saw a man forcing a woman into the vehicle, according to troopers.

The caller’s mother took a photo of the SUV’s license plate, which was provided to law enforcement.

The caller and her parents had entered the Turnpike in Bristol Township and saw a white man in a white shirt grab a woman with long hair wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt and force her into the SUV, state police said.

The caller reportedly said she heard the woman yell for help.

The witness remained on the phone with dispatch and followed the SUV traveling westbound on the Turnpike before exiting at the Fort Washington interchange at 2:17 a.m., state police said.

A trooper spoke with the witness, who provided her account.

Later, Upper Dublin Township police in Montgomery County received an open 9-1-1 call from a phone number connected to the incident.

A dispatcher heard voices in the background and was suspicious of possible criminal activity, state police said.

Police traced the number to a residence in Montgomery County.

An Upper Dublin Township officer made contact with Paulachok and the woman at the residence, state police said.

The woman told the officer that Paulachok punched her in the stomach and closed a car door on her foot while they were in the parking lot of a bar in Bristol Borough. She also said she tried to get away while they were pulled over on the Turnpike, but Paulachok grabbed her and put her back in the vehicle, according to court papers.

The officer noted visible injuries, including swelling to her left foot, scratches on her back, and bruising on her arm, law enforcement authorities said.

The woman refused medical treatment, because she did not want to leave her 3-year-old child behind, police reported.

With local police at her residence, she requested Paulachok leave the residence, and he left in an Uber.

The Upper Dublin Township officer did not make an arrest and noted the alleged assault occurred in Bucks County, not Montgomery County, state police said.

Troopers said they later spoke with the woman, who relayed a similar account.

The woman said she worked as a wedding photographer on Aug. 16 in Delaware County and later met up with Paulachok at a private yacht club party in Bristol Township at approximately 10:30 p.m. She said Paulachok had been “day drinking” since noon, according to state police.

The woman said she and Paulachok left the party at 1 a.m. and continued to a pub in Bristol Borough. She said they began to argue because she wanted to call an Uber, but he convinced her to drive. She said during the two-mile drive, Paulachok began putting his hands on her, state police reported.

After they parked, she said Paulachok took her keys and phone, grabbed her, and punched her in the stomach and ribs. He then put her in the passenger side of the car and closed the door on her left foot, causing pain. Paulachok then drove off from the pub, troopers stated.

The woman relayed that she was “very fearful” and convinced him to pull over as they got onto the Pennsylvania Turnpike from the Bristol interchange at Route 13, state police said.

When he stopped, she ran from the vehicle to get away, but he grabbed her and put her back in the car, state police said.

When they arrived back at her apartment complex, the woman said she was able to dial 9-1-1 and keep her phone in her pocket, trying to say “help me” loud enough for someone to hear. The woman and Paulachok heard officers knocking on the door, but Paulachok told her to be quiet and did not want to answer, court records showed.

The woman told investigators she ran to unlock the door when Paulachok left the bedroom. She then ran to the officers down the hallway and told them what happened.

The woman said she later sought treatment at a Montgomery County hospital and was diagnosed with a fractured rib and a fractured foot, state police said.

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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