Man sentenced for striking coroner’s vehicle, endangering police officer

WILKES-BARRE — A Lackawanna County man who admitted to intentionally crashing into a Luzerne County coroner’s vehicle and endangering a Plains Township police officer was sentenced to probation Thursday.

Luzerne County Judge Joseph F. Sklarosky Jr. sentenced John Joseph Nemetz III, 62, of Archbald, to three years in the Intermediate Punishment Program with the first month on house arrest with electronic monitoring on charges of terroristic threats, reckless endangerment and resisting arrest. Nemetz was also fined $50 on summary count of accidents involving damage to unattended vehicle.

Nemetz pled guilty to the charges July 9.

Plains Township police charged Nemetz with using his 2005 Toyota Tundra pickup truck to strike a coroner’s Dodge Durango three times on Warner Street on Aug. 17, 2023, court records say.

Nemetz refused to park his vehicle and continued to accelerate forward and backwards nearly colliding with other parked vehicles, court records say.

Nemetz yelled he was going to kill police officers during the incident.

Sklarosky ordered Nemetz to pay $2,032 in restitution to the coroner’s office.