Prank With Toy Gun Leads to Charges for City Teen

A prank featuring realistic toy gun along the side of a Palmer Township road on Saturday helped to land a Bethlehem teen-ager in jail on drug charges, according to court records.

Palmer Township police responded to Stone Crossing Road and Fleetwood Drive after 4:30 pm on reports that four passengers of a car in that area were waving a black gun at cars as they drove by, court papers said.

When police arrived, they found four teen-agers in a black Volvo hatchback and their toy weapon.

Three of the occupants were minors, but one, John Christopher Hernandez, 18, of 1947 Hillcrest Road on Bethlehem’s West Side, is not. And when he was searched, police found that he was allegedly carrying a small plastic baggie of marijuana, which he admitted he was planning to share with the other three teens.

Hernandez told police that the four car occupants would make eye contact with passing motorists and then point the gun at one another, court papers said.

Hernandez was charged with possession of a small amount of marijuana, possession with intent to use marijuana and disorderly conduct. He was arraigned before on-duty , and committed to Northampton County Prison in lieu of $10,000 bail.