A New Jersey man picked the wrong driver when he allegedly tried to steal a vehicle in Upper Bucks County last month.
Shortly after noon on Sept. 28, Pennsylvania State Police responded to a report of an attempted armed carjacking in the unit block of West End Boulevard in West Rockhill.
The victim, a tow truck driver, was headed to a service call when he saw what he believed was a disabled vehicle on the southbound side of Route 309 and decided to turn around and see if he could help.
The man pulled his tow truck in front of the disabled 2020 Kia Soul and as he started walking toward it a man got out, according to a probable
cause affidavit.
The tow truck driver asked the man – identified as Nathanael Antaeus Lowe, 47, of Frenchtown – if he needed help. Lowe’s response was to allegedly pull out a knife.
“I’m taking your vehicle,” he told the tow truck driver, according to the affidavit.
The tow truck driver, though, had a concealed gun on his hip that he pulled out and pointed at Lowe, the affidavit said. The driver then ordered him to drop the knife and get back in his car.
Lowe immediately backed up and placed the knife on a concrete barrier before getting back into his car, the affidavit said.
The tow truck driver who police said had a valid concealed weapon permit, retrieved the knife and entered his tow truck, called and waited for police.
Lowe was transported to the state police Dublin barracks where he declined to speak about the incident, the affidavit said.
He was arraigned before District Judge Michael Petrucci on two felony attempted robbery charges felony attempted aggravated assault and related misdemeanors and summary harassment.
He was transported to Bucks County Correctional Center in lieu of $500,000 bail. He had no legal representation listed as of Sept. 30.
Crime and Courts Reporter Jo Ciavaglia can be reached at jciavaglia@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Alleged carjacker picked wrong victim on Upper Bucks road | Exclusive
