Crime & Safety
South Whitehall Police SUV Hit Pedestrian, Police Say
Initial report from state police identified driver, but did not say vehicle belonged to township police.
The sport utility vehicle that struck an Allentown man on Tilghman Street a week ago was a South Whitehall Township police vehicle, township police said on Monday.
Jacob Vassallo, 21, was taken to Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest for treatment of moderate injuries after being struck by an SUV near Parkway Road in South Whitehall last Monday (Oct. 28), according to a state police at Fogelsville news release.
Though the news release identified the driver, 52-year-old David Gross of Allentown, it did not say he was driving a police vehicle.
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However, South Whitehall Police Lt. John Christman confirmed that Gross, a South Whitehall Township police officer, was driving a police vehicle. Christman also said that state troopers are handling the investigation.
According to the troopers' news release, Vassallo was crossing Tilghman Street near Parkway Road at 11:19 p.m. when he was struck. He was wearing dark clothing and was not in a crosswalk, police said.
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Gross was traveling south on Parkway, had the green light and was making a left turn onto Tilghman Street when he struck Vassallo. Gross was uninjured.
Vassallo was cited for not crossing at a crosswalk.
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