upper nazareth township police car shot

Upper Nazareth Township police respond Wednesday after a suspect fired more than 20 bullet holes into a police car that had the department's mannequin police officer inside. The suspect threw the dummy across the road.

(Express-Times Photo | MIKE NESTER)

police are searching for a man who fired more than 20 bullets into a patrol car, pulled a mannequin police officer out of it and then threw the dummy into traffic -- where its head was smashed.

The vehicle containing the mannequin, which was dressed in a police uniform, was parked in a residential neighborhood on Mayfair Place, just off Route 248, to deter speeding after a recent car crash, police Chief Alan Siegfried said.

After midnight Thursday, a husky white man with thinning hair fired at the police car with a .45-caliber handgun, Siegfried said. The shooter wore blue jeans, possibly a gray T-shirt and had a mask over his face, according to the chief.

The gunman then removed the mannequin from the vehicle and threw it across the road, where its head was smashed by oncoming traffic, Siegfried said. The suspect ran off, he said.

Upper Nazareth officers responded to a call from residents who heard the gunshots. Police recovered bullet casings and continue to investigate.

“Everybody heard it,” Siegfried said.

Siegfried said the 2003 Ford Crown Victoria that was damaged was taken out of service last year, but Siegfried was able to persuade township supervisors to keep it for the dummy police car program. Siegfried said graphics on the outside of the car cracked from age, but from a distance, it looks like a police car.

Siegfried said the program has been effective in deterring speeders and wrongdoing in various areas of the township. The mannequin, dressed as a police officer in full uniform with sunglasses and a hat, often attracted passers-by who would stop and try to talk to him or ask for directions, the chief said. He even had a faux cup of coffee on the dashboard.

“It was very effective,” Siegfried said. “It deterred speeding, running stop signs. He was always dependable.”

Siegfried said a motive is unclear and this is the first time police have ever had an incident with the mannequin, with the exception of students walking to school and placing soda containers on the car.