Former North Penn Groundskeeper Pleads Guilty to Fatal Hit and Run with District Vehicle

Keith Heffintrayer | North Penn Now•

Nicholas Shaw, 27, of Hatfield Township.

A former North Penn School District groundskeeper has pleaded guilty to a fatal hit and run that occurred in Hatfield Township in October 2022.

As part of a plea agreement with prosecutors, 27-year-old Nicholas Shaw pleaded guilty this week to one felony count of accidents involving death or personal injury and a summary count of disorderly conduct, according to reporting by Carl Hessler Jr. at The Reporter. Additional summary counts of failing to stop and render aid, failing to report an accident, and careless driving were dropped in exchange for Shaw’s plea.

Montgomery County Common Pleas Judge Steven O”Neill sentenced Shaw to 1½ to 3 years in state prison, with Shaw being ordered to surrender to prison officials on Jan. 4, 2024, to begin his sentence, the report states.

The agreement comes several days before Shaw was scheduled for trial on the charges.

Police were initially dispatched to the area of Oak Park and Koffel roads at 3:13 p.m. on Oct. 27, 2022, for a report of a medical emergency. Arriving officers located an 83-year-old male lying unresponsive in a drainage ditch after being struck by a vehicle, and he was subsequently transported to Lansdale Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 4:10 p.m.

The victim’s wife told police she was at the rear of her property gardening when she heard a loud noise and saw a work van with white pipes on top of it. She further described the vehicle as "blue and white” and noted that it had traveled up Oak Park Road after she heard the noise, police said.

An autopsy of the victim — whose name is being withheld by this news organization — listed the victim’s cause of death as "blunt impact injuries,” and Montgomery County Deputy Coroner Adam Shellenhamer told police on Oct. 28, 2022, the victim’s injuries were consistent with having been in a motor vehicle crash and were not consistent with a fall, according to charging documents.

Several days later, investigators made a plea for public assistance, asking any residents in the area with a doorbell camera or surveillance system to contact them, as well as anyone who may have witnessed the incident.

On Nov. 1, 2022, police received surveillance footage from a home on Oak Park Road, and upon review, investigators said they observed a blue Ford Econoline work van with white-colored mounted ladder racks on the roof that matched the victim’s wife’s description. Markings on the vehicle indicated it was owned by North Penn School District, according to the criminal complaint.

Investigators contacted the school district, who confirmed ownership and identified the vehicle as an older spare vehicle located at the North Penn School District Facilities building located along the 600 block of West Eighth Street in Lansdale Borough, the report states. After arriving at that location, police said they observed fresh damage to the vehicle’s front-end, including paint and fiberglass cracking on the passenger side of the hood.

An employee with the district told police that no one had reported any damage to the vehicle, and they were unaware of the damage until it was pointed out by police, the report states. That employee also told police that one of the district’s groundskeepers — identified as Shaw — had used the vehicle on Oct. 27, 2022, because Shaw’s regular work vehicle was being repaired, according to the complaint.

Investigators then reviewed surveillance footage from the facilities building, which allegedly showed a man in a red hooded sweatshirt — identified by a North Penn School District police officer as Shaw — exiting the facility’s West Gate entrance in the van at 1:02 p.m., at which point no damage to the vehicle was visible. However, when the vehicle returned to the facility at 3:11 p.m., police said surveillance footage showed clear damage that was not visible when the vehicle had left.

Additionally, police said surveillance footage at the facility showed Shaw exiting the van, walking around to the front passenger side of the van, pausing for a moment, then walking towards the building.

"Mr. Shaw operated his vehicle with careless disregard for the safety of other persons or property,” police said in the complaint. "After striking [the victim], Mr. Shaw fled the scene and failed to provide the required information and failed to render aid to [the victim]. Mr. Shaw also failed to report the crash to the Hatfield Township Police Department.”

In addition to the felony charge, Shaw is also facing summary charges of failing to stop and render aid, failing to report an accident to police, and careless driving.

If convicted of the accidents involving death or personal injury charge, Shaw will face a mandatory three-year prison sentence and $2,500 fine. The maximum sentence for the charge is 10 years in prison along with a $25,000 fine.

Shaw is being represented by Matthew Taylor Wilkov, Esq., of the Rubin, Clickman, Steinberg and Gifford firm in Newtown, Bucks County.

When reached for comment following Shaw’s arrest in January, North Penn School District provided the following statement:

The North Penn School District is fully cooperating with local law enforcement regarding a criminal investigation involving one of our employees, a school district maintenance vehicle, and a tragic event. We offer our sincere condolences to the family of the victim and those impacted by this tragedy. As it is an ongoing investigation, no further information can be provided.

District officials have confirmed that following Shaw’s arrest in January, his employment with the district was subsequently terminated.