Man takes speed enforcement into his own hands

ByWALTER PEREZ WPVI logo
Tuesday, June 24, 2014
VIDEO: Man takes speed enforcement into his own hands
Police say he was trying to stop people from speeding.

PERRY TOWNSHIP, Pa. (WPVI) -- A Berks County man faces serious charges for allegedly putting items in the middle of busy road near his home.

Police say he was trying to stop people from speeding but now he's facing jail time.

Neighbors admit that speeding is an issue along this 25 mile-an-hour stretch of Hall Road in Perry Township.

But local authorities say 51-year-old Bruce McKeegan went too far in his effort to get commuters to ease off the gas pedal.

People who live nearby say it began when McKeegan allegedly started tossing household items out onto the road and leaving them there.

Next-door neighbor Tye Hardy tells us, "Toys, baseball bats, there's a generator that had a string hanging out of it."

But neighbors finally called 911 after McKeegan allegedly piled up pieces of wood on the unit block the Hall Road and set them ablaze, creating two small fires on the roadway.

When State Police arrived, he reportedly told them he was trying to create a fake crash scene to trick drivers into slowing down.

That's why McKeegan was arrested on charges of risking a catastrophe and reckless endangerment.

Hardy says it's probably the most bizarre thing he's ever seen.

"It's just weird for Hall Road, for Shoemakersville to have a story like this... I'm kind of baffled about it," he said.

MCkeegan was ordered held on $10,000 bail.