Collegeville man admits to Towamencin road rage shooting, awaits sentencing

Investigators said the bullet from Kenneth Frankenberger’s gun nearly hit a passenger in the front seat, embedding near the headrest

A Collegeville man pleaded guilty Tuesday to two felony charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon related to a hit-and-run and road rage incident in Towamencin Township last summer where he fired a gun at another driver.

Kenneth Frankenberger, 70, of Collegeville, who is free on $10,000 unsecured bail ahead of an unscheduled sentencing, had two misdemeanor charges each of reckless endangerment and possession of an instrument of crime dismissed, according to court records. Two other felonies were withdrawn at his preliminary hearing.

Police said the bullet narrowly missed a passenger in the front seat, embedding near the headrest.

The incident occurred on July 21, 2025 around 4:45 p.m., when police were dispatched to the area of 1910 Kulp Road for a reported hit-and-run in progress.

According to the criminal complaint, the victim told county dispatchers that his vehicle had been struck by another driver, who fled the scene. He then advised there may be a bullet hole in his vehicle, and later confirmed one was found.

Responding officers located the victim’s vehicle in a driveway on Kulp Road. The rear passenger-side window was shattered, and a bullet was found lodged in the rubber gasket near the headrest of the passenger seat, which was occupied at the time of the shooting, police said.

The victim recounted that the confrontation began at Old Forty Foot Road and Rittenhouse Road, where a red SUV attempted to cut him off. He said the driver of the SUV, identified as Frankenberger, continued to follow and swerve at him through several turns until he heard what sounded like a “firecracker” on Kulp Road and noticed his window was broken.

The victim recounted the SUV’s license plate to authorities, which police traced to Frankenberger, according to the complaint.

Investigators said they recovered a .32-caliber shell casing from the roadway and determined Frankenberger had previously purchased a Beretta Tomcat pistol of that caliber, per the complaint.

A search warrant was executed the following morning at Frankenberger’s home on Bridge Road, where police recovered the loaded pistol from a bedroom dresser.

According to the complaint, Frankenberger admitted to detectives that he was involved in the incident and had pulled the trigger.

Frankenberger is represented by defense attorney Paul Mallis of Bensalem.

All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using public court records.