Wawa at 1510 Easton Road in Horsham (Image courtesy of Google StreetView)
The victim followed the driver into the Wawa parking lot after accident and his failure to stop, say police
Horsham Township Police Department recently responded to an accident within the township, but it wasn’t your typical fender-bender.
On Oct. 26 around 6:54 a.m., Horsham police responded to a “disturbance” at the Wawa, located at 1510 Easton Road in Horsham. According to a caller, a man hit her and then took her car keys. The woman reported to police that a v
A criminal complaint filed by police stated that, a vehicular accident had occurred between a black, Honda Civic and a grey, Toyota Rav-4. After the striking vehicle hit the woman, he reportedly drove into the Wawa parking lot. There, she explained a “minor accident” to police. She said that the man did not stop to exchange information, and instead pulled into the Wawa.
According to the complaint, the caller followed the striking vehicle into the lot. Once she’d parked, police said, the male driver approached her, becoming verbally aggressive with her, cursing. The woman told police that the man entered her vehicle and took her ignition key, walking back to his car and then entering the Wawa. A short time later, he exited the Wawa, police said, and left in his vehicle, failing to exchange insurance, registration, or driver information with the victim.
Police said that they reviewed Wawa security video, which corroborated the caller’s story, showing a man pulling into a parking spot on the south side of the Wawa, and the victim following in her car. The man exits his car, and can be seen leaving the range of the video, police said.
Horsham Police said that they were able to use the victim’s photo of the man’s registration, which permitted police to find his driver’s license “from priors.” The images from the video matched the picture on the driver’s license, said police.
Andrew Joseph Carleo, 38, of the 400 block of Blair Mill Road in Hatboro, was identified by Horsham PD to be the actor in the video. They attempted to reach him at home, but his father advice police he was at work and provided them the location. Police reported to his working place and saw the same black Honda Civic from the images in the lot there.
According to the complaint, police asked Carleo if he was involved in an accident on Easton Road in Horsham, and he denied knowing anything about it. Police reports stated that Carleo said “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” and when asked if took the keys to the Rav-4, said he “don’t know anything about it.”
Police said Carleo denied even being at the Wawa that day, and when asked for the Rav-4 keys, said he did not take them. Police said that video footage shows Carleo as being in control of the Honda, confronting the victim, and leaving the Wawa without making any attempts to provide any type of documentation that is required to provide after a motor vehicle accident.
“Carleo leaves with the keys of the Rav-4 and doesn’t return,” police said in their written complaint.
Carleo is charged with an accident involving damage to an attended vehicle, theft by unlawful taking of a movable property, theft from a motor vehicle, and a summary offense of an accident with a duty to stop and provide information.
He is due to appear in court for both a preliminary arraignment and preliminary hearing before Magisterial District Judge Todd Stephens on Dec. 17 at 1:45 p.m.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using public court records.
