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That's what police say a 15-year-old boy yelled moments after fatally shooting a 39-year-old man in Pottstown using his dad's gun on Wednesday, Nov. 22, authorities announced the following weekend.
Thomas James Niarhos, of Stowe, has been charged with first-degree murder in the midday killing of Jeremiah "Jay" Waylon Hawkins, near the Pottstown Train Station on South Hanover Street, Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele said.
The teen boy was seen loitering in the same area, Security Plaza, just before 6 a.m., on July 13, according to court documents. That day, he told officers that Hawkins had raped his girlfriend behind a nearby dumpster, according to the affidavit of probable cause. The police brought him home since he was violating curfew.
Fast-forward to Nov. 22, and Niarhos had returned to the area — this time with his father's gun — one that Thomas Niarhos' senior told police he had been locking in a safe, according to the affidavit.
Surveillance footage shows the teen and Hawkins at the intersection of South Hanover Street and Security Plaza just before noon, court records show. Niarhos is seen extending his arm towards Hawkins, who then tries to knock the gun out of his hands using a bicycle tire, the police detailed in the affidavit.
Next, Niarhos fired a shot — causing Hawkins to fall to the ground, DA Steele explained. Then, he fired another one — killing him, according to the police.
Arriving officers found a group of bystanders restraining the teen. As they escorted him into custody, Niarhos yelled, "He's a rapist, don't feel sorry for him," Steele's stated in a release. "He raped a 15-year-old girl, don't help him."
The girlfriend, now 16 years old, and her mother were contacted about the alleged rape by Pottstown Detectives back on July 13, 2023. The girl did tell her mother "'something had happened to her' in Pottstown but she would provide no details of the incident," according to the affidavit. The detectives told the mom to take the girl to Children's Hospital to have a Sexual Assault Nurse Examination, but the following day the girl's mom called the detectives and told them "that they did not wish to pursue a criminal investigation into the matter," as stated in the affidavit.
His father and namesake's .40 caliber Smith & Wesson semi-automatic firearm along with two spent shell casings were recovered at the scene the DA explained.
Hawkin's autopsy confirmed he was shot at close range in the side of his face and his manner of death was ruled a homicide, by Dr. Khalil Wardak, a forensic pathologist with the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office, according to the DA's release. The gun was "preserved for further testing and no serial number was immediately apparent," the police said.
The owner of the stolen gun, Niarhos Sr. is the Executive Director of Pottstown Beacon of Hope, according to his LinkedIn. The organization provides year-round assistance to "Pottstown residents experiencing homelessness," as written on its website. Hawkins was experiencing homelessness at the time of the shooting, the police explained. Niarhos Jr. was also apparently planning to turn to a life on the streets, as his father told the police "he found a note in his son's bedroom indicating that his son planned to run away and located a packed bag of clothes and a cellular phone charger in his son's bedroom," as stated in the affidavit. The boy had only been living with his father since the start of the summer.
Niarhos has been charged as an adult with the following according to the DA's release and confirmed by his court docket:
- Homicide murder in the first degree.
- Felony murder in the third degree.
- Felony firearms are not to be carried with a license.
- Misdemeanor possession of a firearm by a minor.
- Misdemeanor possession of an instrument of crime.
He was arraigned by Magisterial District Judge Margaret Hunsicker and held without bail at the Montgomery County Youth Center, the DA detailed. His preliminary hearing has been set before Magisterial District Judge Scott T. Palladino at 2 p.m. on Nov. 30, according to his court docket.
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