EASTON, Pa. – Easton Police are investigating a report of an armed assault and attempted carjacking.
Investigators said the assault stemmed from a dispute over a parking spot.
The Carbon County woman who said she and her family were the victims, is now speaking out, saying she wants others to be aware.
“That was the most traumatic experience I have ever been through,” said Laura Bittner of Lansford.
Bittner said she was in the passenger seat of her family’s car on Saturday night, when her fiancé pulled the car over on the side of the 800 block of Northampton Street in Easton to stop at a nearby store.
She said a vehicle pulled behind the family’s car.
“And started honking at us,” said Bittner.
Bittner said a man with a gun tried to carjack the vehicle while children were inside at the time.
“He was swinging me around. I was trying to physically hold the door shut the entire time because my minor children were in there,” Bittner said. “This happened within 40 seconds.”
Bittner’s fiancé, Mason Heffelfinger, said he also had a physical altercation with the man.
“I’m a little shaken up. I’m a little, like, disoriented,” Heffelfinger said.
The couple said they went to the hospital for their injuries.
A 911 dispatch recording captured the moments.
“He struck the male five times,” the dispatcher could be heard saying in the recording. “The female is hysterical.”
The dispatch call said the couple continued driving to the Ideal Food Basket parking lot on the 900 block of Northampton Street, where they were met by officers.
Heffelfinger is reflecting on the time he used to spend in Easton. He said he never questioned his safety.
“I was just so appalled that something like this happened in Easton,” said Heffelfinger.
“I just want my children to feel safe again,” said Bittner.
The couple has a message for others.
“Do not get out of your car. Even if somebody is honking at you, do not exit your vehicle,” Bittner said.
Authorities said they are investigating to confirm the information provided to them, and they are asking for the public’s help.
Anyone who has information is asked to call the Easton Police tip line at 610.250.6635.
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