Jeep Driver Hits Cyclist, Throwing Him 95 Feet, Police Say

A Pennsylvania man out riding his bicycle was allegedly struck by a Jeep driver who had confronted him moments earlier over a claim that the bike was stolen, sending the cyclist flying through the air, according to authorities.

Phillip Prince, 40, has been charged with attempted murder, aggravated assault by vehicle, homicide by vehicle, simple assault, and recklessly endangering another person, the Abington Township Police Department announced. He was expected to appear in court Monday for a preliminary arraignment.

The incident unfolded around 8:30 p.m. Sunday in Abington Township, Pennsylvania, about 15 miles north of Philadelphia. Police said 24-year-old Colin Cassidy was riding a “BMX-style bicycle” with three other cyclists at the time.

According to investigators, Prince began following the group and eventually got out of his Jeep Compass to confront Cassidy, accusing him of riding a stolen bicycle. Cassidy continued on his way, but police say the Jeep followed as well.

As Cassidy reached the bottom of a hill on Meyer Avenue, he had moved from the roadway onto the sidewalk. Authorities allege Prince then “crossed into the opposing lane of travel onto the sidewalk” and struck the rear of Cassidy’s bicycle. Police said Cassidy was “thrown approximately 90 to 95 feet,” adding that witness accounts and video evidence supported that sequence of events.

Responding officers found Cassidy “unconscious and bleeding from his head” at the scene. He was taken to a nearby hospital, where police said he underwent emergency surgery for significant head trauma.

Prince and the Jeep remained at the location when officers arrived, authorities said. The vehicle had “front-end damage and a cracked windshield.” Prince was arrested and booked into the Montgomery County Jail.

Local residents were left disturbed by the alleged act of violence.

“Even if it was over a bike, it still doesn’t give the guy the right to mow someone down and try to basically kill them,” neighbor Geoffrey Brams told local ABC affiliate WPVI.

Cassidy’s mother said of her son’s health: “We’re just trying to be positive right now.”

“We’re hoping this will only take him a few months of recovery, is our biggest hope, and he can really return to the active, young guy that he was,” she said, adding that she’s “already lost one son.”

She added that to “have a grown man target someone else like that, at any age, but let alone someone helpless on a bike, I can’t even wrap my mind around it.”

Prince is due to reappear in court for a preliminary hearing on July 22.