A Lansdale man has pleaded guilty to an ethnic intimidation charge stemming from a November 2021 road rage incident on East Main Street in Lansdale Borough.
As part of a plea agreement with prosecutors, 40-year-old Joseph Ingersoll entered a guilty plea on Wednesday to one count of ethnic intimidation — a third-degree misdemeanor. Additional charges of ethnic intimidation, harassment, disorderly conduct, and related offenses were dismissed in exchange for his plea.
Court records show Ingersoll will undergo a pre-sentencing investigation prior to his sentencing hearing, which has not yet been scheduled. Typically, deferred sentencing hearings occur within 90 days of a plea agreement.
Ingersoll faces up to 90 days in jail and a fine of up to $5,000 for the third-degree misdemeanor ethnic intimidation charge.
Police were dispatched to a business along the 700 block of East Main Street at 12:18 p.m. on Nov. 28, 2021, for a report of a road rage incident, according to the criminal complaint. Upon arrival, police spoke with a Black female victim who stated she was driving with her 8-year-old daughter in the car near the intersection with Lakeview Drive when the vehicle behind her — driven by Ingersoll — began following closely and driving erratically, the report states.
The victim told police that she could see Ingersoll shouting profanities and flipping her the middle finger in her rearview mirror, and when Ingersoll drove past her, he allegedly called her a “f---ing n----r,” according to the complaint. When the victim pulled over to call the police, she said Ingersoll turned around, drove to the parking lot, and continued to hurl racial slurs at her, police said.
While officers were speaking to the victim, police were able to locate Ingersoll’s vehicle and initiate a traffic stop, the report states. Ingersoll allegedly admitted to tailgating the victim, but he denied exchanging any words with the victim. Investigators would later receive an audio copy of the victim’s 911 call, in which Ingersoll can be heard yelling and calling the victim a “n----r.” police said.
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