Pittsburgh man accused by troopers of stealing a friend's van after altercation on Route 22 in Salem

A Pittsburgh man is accused of beating his friend and stealing his van after asking for a ride home from Latrobe late Friday, according to court documents.

Nathan S. Baron, 46, is being held in the Westmoreland County Prison on $50,000 bond. He is charged with two counts of simple assault and single counts of harassment, robbery and theft of a motor vehicle in connection with the 10:10 p.m. incident along the westbound lanes of Route 22.

Trooper Shauntai Hall said she was parked and monitoring traffic just west of the Route 22-Sears Lane intersection when she noticed a “visibly injured man” approaching her patrol vehicle.

“I asked for his name and whether he had been involved in a motor vehicle accident. He had multiple contusions on his forehead that were bleeding and his hands were bloody,” Hall wrote in court documents.

The man said Baron had just assaulted him, stolen his cell phone and took his 2019 Honda Odessey van.

He told police that he had just picked up Baron in Latrobe and the pair were driving to Pittsburgh when they began arguing. He pulled over to the berm, at which time Baron threw the man’s cell phone out of the window and the verbal altercation turned physical after the man attempted to retrieve his phone.

“(The driver) related that Baron grabbed him, threw him to the ground and began punching him repeatedly. The victim stated that he was being assaulted in the right westbound lane of Route 22 as traffic was approaching,” Hall wrote in court documents.

The van was found parked on the berm a short distance away, police said. When Hall approached, Baron got out of the van, started yelling and became combative.

Hall said Baron ignored her instructions to return to the vehicle, at which time he “dropped to the ground and began rolling in the right westbound lane of Route 22 as traffic was approaching.”

Baron eventually stood up, but continued yelling at the trooper and became combative with Hall as she attempted to take him into custody. She used a Taser to subdue him, according to court papers.

Baron did not have an attorney listed. Online court dockets indicate he has no prior criminal record in Pennsylvania.