Altoona duo arrested for witness intimidation in attempted murder case

ALTOONA, Pa. (WTAJ) — Two 19-year-olds are facing multiple felony charges for allegedly intimidating and stealing from a witness.

Police said the charges stem from an incident that occurred April 18 in the city of Altoona involving Gage Harf, 19, and Jayden Dreischalick, 19.

At approximately 6:45 p.m., the victim told police that he was attacked at the intersection of E. 1st Avenue and Lloyd Street by a man wearing a ski mask. According to the charges filed, the victim was riding his bike home when a white Mitsubishi SUV approached and asked, “Are you that snitch?”

The victim told officers that he ran to his apartment, but the suspect followed him and continued the alleged attack. The victim tried to get into his apartment, but the front door was locked, so he tried to defend himself by holding the suspect, the affidavit states. At this point, the victim recalled being struck on his side by the suspect and noted that he allegedly had a five-inch knife with which he struck the victim.

According to the criminal complaint, the victim let go of the suspect, causing him to drop the knife. At that point, the victim said the suspect grabbed the knife and a Beats headphone, which the victim dropped before running back to the SUV and driving off. After the attack, the victim and his mother said they found a key fob for a Mitsubishi and a cellphone they believed the suspect dropped.

While speaking with police, the victim’s mother said she saw the man running toward the SUV and thought she recognized him from a recent attempted murder trial. According to the affidavit, the victim of this assault had previously been arrested and provided information about an attempted homicide case that resulted in multiple arrests.

The victim was one of several teenagers arrested and charged in an attempted murder on December 31, 2023, involving 18-year-old James Fisher.

On April 19, investigators confirmed that the key fob found belonged to a Mitsubishi Outlander, specifically a 2022 to 2024 model. During the investigation, investigators learned that a woman wanted to replace a key fob for a 2022 Outlander after her son claimed he lost it in a sewer, the criminal complaint states.

Officials said her son was identified as Harf, who had previous incidents with Altoona police and was reportedly friends with Fisher, who was arrested on attempted murder charges.

Police visited Harf at his parents’ apartment on April 30 and immediately checked the key fob that had fallen during the alleged attack days earlier. Police noted in the criminal complaint that the vehicle’s lights were flashing, confirming that the key fob belonged to that vehicle. Police obtained a search warrant for the car and collected DNA swabs from the interior, which were sent to a PSP forensic lab.

Officers then spoke with Harf’s mother, who said her son had recently lost a trailer in a sewer. She confirmed to officers that he had access to the SUV on April 18th.

A short time later, Harf returned home and was uncooperative with police, according to the criminal complaint. He asked why the officers were taking the vehicle and seemed concerned.

On May 1, police were notified that Harf was at the Blair County Probation Office. A short time later, APD officers arrived with a search warrant for Harf’s cell phone. According to the criminal complaint, Harf gave police his cell phone along with the passcode for the device. Harf was found to have deleted all of his messages and calls, according to the affidavit.

Officers later discovered Harf’s mother and his probation officer told him that police would likely take his phone, giving him time to delete anything he didn’t want police to see, the indictment says.

Police learned of a prison phone call that took place on May 1 between Harf and an inmate. Harf called the inmate and allegedly said he might have to go to jail tomorrow (May 2), the criminal complaint states. Harf explained to the inmate that investigators had taken the Mitsubishi and obtained a search warrant for his phone.

Harf’s mother told police that she spoke to Harf on May 1 about the ongoing investigation and Harf allegedly said, “If I tell them who was with me, I’ll still go to jail,” the criminal complaint states the police.

The next day, officers obtained a search warrant for the cell phone that had been seized after the alleged assault. Police were able to determine that the phone belonged to Dreischallck, James Fisher’s brother.

Officers then began searching messages between Fisher and Dreischallck dating back to April 18. During a phone call with Fisher, Dreischallck allegedly said, “You know what we would do,” the indictment states. Police said that call came about three and a half hours before the attack.

Officers concluded that Harf and Dreischallck had attacked the victim on April 18, accusing him of being a “spy” in the attempted murder of Fisher. According to the criminal complaint, police said Dreishchallck attacked the victim and attempted to stab him with a knife before dropping the knife, grabbing it and a Beats headphone before leaving the scene.

The duo faces nearly identical charges, listed below:

• Felony – Intimidation of a Witness
• Crime – Robbery
• Felony – Conspiracy to commit robbery
• 2 crimes: Serious bodily harm
• Felony – Conspiracy, Aggravated Assault
• Crime – Criminal use of communications facilities
• 2 Misdemeanors – Simple Assault
• Misdemeanor – theft by unlawful taking
• Summary – Harassment

In addition, Harf is being prosecuted for tampering with evidence, while Dreischalick is being prosecuted for intentionally possessing an instrument of crime.

The duo are both in the Blair County Jail, with bail set at $1,000,000 for Dreischalick and $100,000 for Harf.

Preliminary hearings for the two are scheduled for May 22.