Road Rage on Route 248 Leads to Charges, Police Say

Nazareth police have charged an Allentown man in a November road rage incident in which the man allegedly caused more than $2,300 in damage by kicking a pickup truck, then slapping the truck’s driver, breaking his glasses and causing him to fall, court records say.

Gregory Freed, 44, of 914 E. Union St., is facing charges of criminal mischief and harassment in connection with the incident on the afternoon of Nov. 28, at Route 248 and S. Broad Street.

Borough Patrolman Stephen Schleig writes in a criminal complaint that he found the pickup driver on the ground with Freed standing in front of him when the officer arrived around 3:15 p.m. He said he had been dispatched to a car crash with two men fighting.

Schleig first separated the men, both of whom refused medical treatment. Then he figured out what had happened, thanks to “independent witnesses” and video footage, court records say.

According to the complaint:

—The incident began in Lower Nazareth Township, “from a refusal from both parties” to allow the other to merge into a single lane on westbound Route 248.

—At the S. Broad Street intersection—“the point of the incident becoming road rage”—Freed got out of his 2012 Honda sport wagon, ran to the passenger side of the 2010 Chevrolet pickup and began to “violently kick” the rear passenger side, causing $2,326.59 in damage.

—The pickup driver got out and confronted Freed, who “open-handed” slapped the man in his face, causing his glasses to break and the man to fall. The glasses were valued at $183.90.

Freed was arraigned Monday morning by District Judge John Capobianco of Nazareth and released on $5,000 unsecured bail.