Unknown man attacks couple with children parked in front of a store in Bethlehem Township, police say

A 29-year-old Bethlehem man is accused of attacking and robbing a couple who were parked with their two young children outside a busy Bethlehem Township shopping center.

Maxwell William Holz, of the 1900 block of Windsor Road, is charged with two counts each of robbery, simple assault and simple theft, in addition to one count of receiving stolen property.

Just before 7 p.m. Friday, township police were called to the Bethlehem Square shopping center on Nazareth Pike for a reported robbery. A woman reported that an unknown man jumped into her family’s Nissan Altima and attacked her husband. The woman and two children, ages 3 and 10, were also in the car during the robbery, court records show.

The woman reported that the attacker, later identified as Wood, walked to the passenger side of the car and asked if the Nissan was her car; the victims responded “yes,” township police said. Wood then allegedly opened the passenger door and jumped into the car.

Holz then punched the woman in the side of the face next to her right eye and grabbed her wallet with her keys attached, police allege. At some point, the woman managed to reclaim her wallet when Holz began hitting her husband in the driver’s seat, court records show.

The incident ended when the female victim took the children out of the car and ran away, police said.

Investigators obtained surveillance camera video footage from the center’s Home Depot showing Holz making a purchase at 6:45 p.m. and then immediately approaching the family parked outside the store, court records say. Police said they were able to link Holz to the alleged crime based on the credit card information used in the transaction and the license plate number of his Nissan Sentra provided by the victims.

Township police said they later obtained an arrest warrant for Holz and took him into custody.

Wood was arraigned Tuesday before District Judge Robert Weber, who set bail at $50,000. Wood was remanded to the Northampton County Jail in lieu of bail.

Wood must appear in court again for a preliminary hearing tentatively scheduled for August 8. At the hearing, a district judge will decide whether there is enough evidence to move the charges to the Northampton County Court of Common Pleas.

A representative from the Northampton County Public Defender’s Office told lehighvalleylive.com Tuesday afternoon that Holz was not immediately assigned legal counsel.

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Pamela Sroka-Holzmann can be reached at [email protected].