Lower Macungie Man Allegedly Led Police on 80-mph Chase

A Lower Macungie Township man led police on a nearly 3-mile chase through the township when they tried to pull the driver over for speeding, police said.

State police at Fogelsville said they saw the driver, Jonathan Zimmerman, 29, speeding at 12:41 a.m. March 19 and gave chase. They said he continued for 2.8 miles with the speed exceeding 80 mph before his vehicle hit an embankment. Zimmerman was arrested on his rear porch at 4580 S. Cedarbrook Road following the collision.

His girlfriend was a passenger, police said. Police did not note injuries.

Zimmerman was charged with fleeing and eluding police, driving under the influence, recklessly endangering others and related traffic offense, police said.

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State police also reported that an Emmaus teen was threatened March 30 by a boy with a pocket knife on an East Penn School District bus.

The 12-year-old boy from Macungie was cutting a bus seat with the knife about 7:45 a.m., police said. The First Student bus was transporting students to Lower Macungie Middle School. The boy threatened to harm the 13-year-old girl if she told of the incident.

School  officials immediately removed the knife from the boy, police said, and there is no indication that anyone was hurt. No charges were indicated, but a report notes that the investigation is continuing.

The incident is being handled as possession of a weapon on school property, police said.

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In another state police incident, it seems a man was so eager to play a new video game system that he ran off without paying for it ... either that or he just wanted it at a heck of a discount.

Police said a man in his early 20s told a Wal-Mart clerk he wanted to purchase a Playstation 3 system about 4:30 p.m. March 31. The clerk unlocked a merchandise case and walked the item to the register for checkout. As the clerk was processing the transaction, the man grabbed the box and ran from the store without paying for the $316.94 item.

Police said the man fled north on Mill Creek Road in a 1990s to early 2000s gold, four-door sedan with a Pennsylvania license plate of GLR1987.

However, when police checked the license plate registration, they learned that the thief didn't only like video gaming systems: The car's tag had been stolen from Allentown.

The man was described as a light-skinned black, about 5-foot-10, 150-180 pounds, with dark, curly bushy hair worn in a pony tail, and wearing a blue hooded sweatshirt and dark blue jeans.

Police ask that anyone with information call them at 610-395-1438.

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An enterprising Macungie man allegedly stole $631 in tokens for car washes using a gift card unrelated to the business, state police said.

Lukasz Slodkowski, 19, swiped a gift card for an electronics store at the token machine of New Wave Car Wash at 3156 Route 100 in Lower Macungie. Slodkowski used the card several times to receive $631.75 in tokens Dec. 13-15, police said.

The acts were caught on the car wash's surveillance camera. Slodkowski admitted the acts when questioned, police said. He was charged with access device fraud and theft.

In other state police reports involving Lower Macungie Township:

Burglary - Reported by Diann Marie Farbowitz; rear screen porch of residence  in the 1100 block of Clearview Circle entered between March 25 and 31 and locked kitchen door entered; jewelry items taken, police said; no value given.

Theft - Reported by Haircut USA, 6465 Village Lane Unit 11; $373 cash taken from the store between March 16 and 28, police said.

Access Device Fraud - Gladys McFadden of Macungie reported a lost credit card; the card was found and used Dec. 30 to make several purchases, police said; no value given.