Man arrested following fight on Appalachian Trail in Lehigh Valley

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Wednesday, June 5, 2019
Arrest on Appalachian Trail following alleged altercation
Arrest on Appalachian Trail following alleged altercation: as seen on Action News at 4 a.m., June 5, 2019

BUSHKILL TWP., Pa. (WPVI) -- Police said a man was arrested Tuesday after reports of a fight between hikers on the Appalachian Trail involving a gun.

State and local police responded to Bushkill Township Tuesday afternoon for the report of hikers in an argument.

Officers said they eventually recovered the pistol but did not say whether anyone was injured.

The fight came on the same day trail management launched a website to report emergencies in the wake of a different, deadly attack in the mountains of Virginia last month.

Hiker and army veteran Ronald Sanchez Jr. was stabbed to death on the trail in southwestern Virginia.

James Jordan of West Yarmouth, Massachusetts, is charged with murder and assault with intent to murder in the attack on Sanchez and a female hiker whose identity wasn't immediately released.

The incident led the nonprofit that manages the Appalachian Trail to revise its website for reporting safety issues and suspicious incidents.

The Roanoke Times reports the Appalachian Trail Conservancy redesigned the website to include a bright red 911 button and other information such as online reporting forms.

Conservancy communications manager Jordan Bowman says the changes prompted by the May slaying makes the offered information and resources clearer and easier to use.

--The Associated Press contributed to this report.--