Fire poker-wielding man accused of harassing students at Greensburg bus stop
It is not unusual for school students to be waiting by an intersection to be picked up by a bus in Greensburg, but what is unusual is those students being harassed by a man wielding a fire poker.
Around 6:30 on Thursday morning, while it was still dark outside, students from Greensburg Salem High School were waiting for their school bus at North Hamilton Avenue and West Otterman Street when a man who appeared to be intoxicated began to approach them.
Greensburg police say that man was 44-year-old Troy Konieczny.
"He started yelling racial slurs at them and he was just acting irrational," said Detective Sergeant Justin Scalzo of the Greensburg Police Department. "He had different objects that he had taken from his house and was breaking them and throwing them around near these children."
One of the objects Konieczny was carrying was a fire poker that had several knives attached to it. At one point during the altercation, Konieczny grabbed and jostled a student's backpack and even touched one of the kids with the poker, though without injuring the child. The children called their parents, who in turn called the Greensburg police, who showed up in minutes.
Konieczny was arrested and after giving statements to the police, all the kids went to school.
In a letter sent out to the Greensburg Salem School District on Friday, Superintendent Dr. Kenneth Bissell praised the actions of both these students, their parents and the Greensburg police. He also said the school district is looking at ways to improve bus stop safety.
Greensburg police meanwhile are investigating what caused this incident to occur, but they say this is not the first run-in they have had with Konieczny.
"Greensburg for the most part is a very safe town, and our main priority is to keep our residents safe," said Detective Scalzo. "And when you hear a call that somebody is threatening a group of kids, I am sure every one of those officers made it their priority to get there as quick as they could to protect those children."
Konieczny is currently being held at the Westmoreland County Prison on $15,000 bail. His preliminary hearing is set for Thursday, March 27.
