Guilty plea in jogger attack
Jonathan Borzelleca, 24, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to aggravated assault charge
NORRISTOWN » A 24-year-old Lansdale man is awaiting sentencing after admitting to swinging a knife at a jogger in the borough during an unprovoked attack last summer, court records indicate.
Jonathan Borzelleca, of the first block of West Fourth Street, has pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree felony aggravated assault in connection with the Aug. 12, 2016 assault, and is scheduled to be sentenced in Montgomery County court on Sept. 19, according to court records.
Lansdale police have said in charging documents that around 10:30 on the night of the incident, 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.