Shartlesville, Pennsylvania – A tragic altercation at a truck stop in northern Berks County resulted in the death of a truck driver early Friday morning.
State police reported that the victim, identified as James Alexander Hilton, 40, from Southampton Township, New Jersey, was fatally shot during an argument at Love’s Travel Stop on Mountain Road near the Shartlesville interchange of Interstate 78 in Upper Bern Township. The suspected shooter, also a truck driver, fled the scene following the predawn shooting, as stated by Trooper David Beohm, the public information officer of Troop L.
The identity of the alleged shooter has not been disclosed as charges are yet to be filed. Capt. Robert L. Bailey mentioned during a news conference that a state police major case team is currently investigating the incident and cannot provide a timeline for when charges will be made.
According to troopers, the dispute took place while the victim was assisting another truck driver in parking his vehicle in the rear lot of Love’s. Anger escalated when a separate individual, not involved in the initial interaction, became enraged, leading to a tragic outcome.
Authorities were alerted to the situation at 2:48 a.m., prompting a bulletin urging law enforcement within a 99-mile radius to be on the lookout for the suspect’s tractor-trailer. After spotting the vehicle about 20 miles from the truck stop, troopers from the Fogelsville station trailed the suspect to the I-78 New Smithville interchange in western Lehigh County. Subsequently, the suspect was apprehended as he was exiting at the Krumsville interchange at approximately 3:31 a.m.
The suspect is currently in custody at the state police Hamburg station, according to Beohm. Berks County District Attorney John T. Adams commended the swift arrest, attributing it to seamless cooperation between state police stations. Adams expressed his appreciation for the efficient teamwork displayed despite the challenging circumstances of the crime occurring in the middle of the night in a rural, sparsely populated area.
