HOMETOWN - Rush Township police on Monday identified a man who was stabbed in the neck Sunday night after he willingly gave a ride to a hitchhiker along Route 309.
Police said Joseph Connell, 52, of Tamaqua, was flown to St. Luke's University Hospital, Fountain Hill, by PennStar helicopter after the assault occurred near the Wal-Mart shopping plaza parking lot just before 8 p.m.
Township police Chief Duane Frederick said Connell was treated in the emergency room and then admitted to the intensive care unit in stable condition.
Frederick said Connell was driving north on Route 309 in Tamaqua when he stopped in the area of Murphy's Beer Distributor and All American Jeep to give a ride to a man who was hitchhiking. Connell told the man that he could only take him as far as the plaza and allowed him to get into the car.
Frederick said the two traveled north until Connell turned off Route 309 onto Tide Road toward the plaza, where the hitchhiker asked Connell to take him farther north.
At that point, Frederick said the hitchhiker pulled out a knife and stabbed Connell in the neck, got out of the car and ran from the area.
After being stabbed, Connell was able to drive out of the plaza and go south on Route 309 to where Rush Township officers had stopped a vehicle for a theft incident. Police immediately called for both an EMS unit and an ALS unit to treat Connell and began an intensive search for the assailant.
After being treated at his vehicle, Connell was taken to an area near the Hometown Nursing and Rehabilitation Center on Route 54, where the PennStar helicopter landed.
The suspect is described as between 5 feet, 7 inches and 5 feet, 10 inches tall with a tan complexion, black hair, a mustache and goatee. He was wearing a blue shirt and blue jeans, Frederick said.
Township police were assisted in the search for the assailant by K-9 Specialist, Bethlehem. Handler Don Wilcox and his tracking dog, Alex, started their work at Connell's car and headed through the plaza parking lot and a grassy area toward Route 309, where the suspect might have fled. A state police helicopter from the Hazleton airport also flew overhead in the woods near the site.
In addition to the K-9 group and state police helicopter, Rush Township police were assisted by state troopers from the Frackville station and officers from Tamaqua, Coaldale, Nesquehoning, Lansford, Weatherly, West Penn Township and the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
Police ask anyone who may have seen a man fitting the description in the area about the time of the assault to call them at 570-668-4242. All information will remain confidential.