Ayomal Nanayakkara, 41, of Montgomery Township.
A Montgomery Township man with a history of hit-and-run incidents has been arrested again after allegedly pushing a female out of his vehicle and running her over early Saturday morning on North Wales Road.
Ayomal Nanayakkara, 41, was charged Saturday by Pennsylvania State Police with felony aggravated assault by vehicle, felony accidents involving death or personal injury (i.e., hit and run) and misdemeanor reckless endangerment, according to court records. Nanayakkara is being held at the county jail in lieu of $99,000 cash bail, while awaiting his April 3 preliminary hearing.
Police responded to a report of a pedestrian stuck at 1:55 a.m. on March 18 at North Wales and Morris roads in Worcester Township.
A witness told police that she saw a maroon Land Rover stopped at the intersection and a female fall out of the vehicle, police said. She then witnessed the driver run over the woman before speeding away, police said. The victim then screamed for help and then the witness called 911, according to charging documents.
The victim told police she was with Nanayakkara for the night, and he had been driving recklessly from Collegeville to North Wales, police said. While they were driving north on North Wales Road, she asked Nanayakkara to stop so she could exit the car, police said.
Nanayakkara allegedly threatened her, at which point she jumped into the backseat in fear of being attacked by him, police said.
When they approached the intersection of North Wales and Morris roads, the victim attempted to get out of the car through the rear passenger door, but Nanayakkara allegedly reached over and shoved her out of the car, causing her to fall onto the street underneath the stopped car, police said. Nanayakkara then allegedly accelerated forward and ran over her right leg, police said, before fleeing the scene.
The victim was taken to Abington Hospital via ambulance with serious injuries to her right leg, police said.
According to court documents, Nanayakkara is also awaiting trial in county court on charges of misdemeanor terroristic threats and harassment with lewd or threatening language, stemming from an October 2022 arrest in Montgomery Township. Nanayakkara had posted $500 bail in that arrest and was on bail at the time of the most recent incident, per court records.
In a similar 2012 incident, according to The Times Herald, Nanayakkara, who was then residing in Norristown, was accused of allegedly pushing his girlfriend out of a moving vehicle in Norristown after punching her repeatedly. He was arrested while returning a rental car and charged with aggravated assault, simple assault, reckless endangerment, and harassment, according to Norristown Police.
Though Nanayakkara maintained he never assaulted the woman, police said motorists who stopped to help the injured victim reported seeing Nanayakkara force her out of a car at New Hope and East Marshall streets, according to the report. One witness told authorities that she saw Nanayakkara punch his front seat passenger in the head with enough force to bounce her around the front seat of the car, police said. Other drivers witnessed Nanayakkara drive around two cars in traffic and then allegedly shove the woman out of the car, police said.
In that incident, the victim told police Nanayakkara punched her numerous times, took her cellphone, and pushed her out of the car, police said.
Nanayakkara was also sentenced to 1 to 2 years in county jail in 2007, after pleading guilty to a September 2006 hit and run charge in Lansdale Borough, court records show. That sentence was adjusted in April 2008 to 1½ to 3 years in county jail, though no explanation for the extension was provided in court records.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using court records and the affidavit of probable cause.
See also:
Man Charged with Exposing Himself to Woman Carrying Baby at Hatfield Laundromat
Teen Vigilante from Montco Who Targeted Pedophiles Online is Arrested on Child Porn Charges
Woman Arrested Three Times in Five Weeks for Stealing Cars in Souderton and Harleysville, Police Say
Man Accused of Attempting to Steal Catalytic Converters at Merck, North Montco Tech Parking Lots
