Lansdale man accused of knife assault waives hearing
Jonathan Borzelleca, 23, faces trial on several criminal counts for alleged unprovoked attack on jogger
A 23-year-old Lansdale man accused of swinging a knife at a jogger in the borough during an unprovoked attack earlier this month is headed for trial after a court appearance Tuesday in which prosectors filed an additional felony aggravated assault charge against the suspect.
Handcuffed and clad in a blue prison jumpsuit, Jonathan Borzelleca, of the first block of West Fourth Street, was brought into District Judge Edward Levine’s courtroom for a scheduled preliminary hearing that he waived after consulting with his public defender.
County prosecutors withdrew one misdemeanor count of prohibited offensive weapons, but added one count of second-degree felony aggravated assault to the list of charges Borzelleca is facing, and upgraded a second-degree felony aggravated assault charge already filed against him to a first-degree felony charge.
Borzelleca is also facing trial on misdemeanor counts of simple assault, possession of an instrument of crime with intent and reckless endangerment, as well as summary counts of disorderly conduct and public drunkenness, in connection with the alleged Aug. 12 incident.
Lansdale police have said in charging documents that around 10:30 that night, borough cops were flagged down by a man who said he was out running on the first block of East Main Street when he observed an individual later identified as Borzelleca walking toward him, so he stepped onto the street to allow Borzelleca to pass him on the sidewalk. The jogger said that as he ran past Borzelleca, Borzelleca pulled out a knife and swung it at him, narrowly missing him, according to an affidavit of probable cause.
Cops found Borzelleca nearby and took him into custody, and the runner positively identified him as the person who had attacked him with a knife, the affidavit indicates. The man also pointed to a nearby grassy area where he had seen Borzelleca drop the knife, and cops found two knives on the ground at that spot — a carving knife and a serrated steak knife, according to police.
A pair of witnesses told police they were driving on East Main Street when they saw the incident, and stated they saw Borzelleca pull “a large knife” from his waistband and swing it horizontally at the jogger close enough to him that one of the witnesses thought he had been stabbed.
The jogger did not sustain any injuries as a result of the alleged assault, police said.
During the arrest, police said, cops noticed that Borzelleca reeked of alcohol and showed other signs of intoxication. A preliminary breath test indicated his blood alcohol concentration was .193 percent, according to court documents.
The alleged victim was at court Tuesday in the event he was needed to testify against Borzelleca, but the waiver made that unnecessary.
Counsel came to an agreement regarding lowering Borzelleca’s bail in the case from $50,000 cash to $50,000 unsecured, which Levine signed off on after being assured by prosecutors that Borzelleca “wasn’t going anywhere” due to a state parole violation detainer that currently bars him from release from jail.
Borzelleca is due to be formally arraigned in Montgomery County court on Oct. 12.