Naked, bloody man charged with assault while nearby house burns

A Northampton man has been charged with multiple offenses after he was found naked and covered in blood while a nearby house was on fire Thursday.

At 9:05 p.m. the Lehigh Township Police Department was dispatched to the 1100 block of Quince Road for a woman screaming and a naked man, covered in blood, jumping on her car.

Police were also told that a nearly house was on fire.

Upon arrival, police found the two-family home fully engulfed in flames, and a man, later identified as Zachary Pammer, 24, naked and sitting inside a Subaru in the middle of the road.

The car, and Pammer, were covered in blood.

The driver of the Subaru said she saw the fire and stopped to help. She said Pammer jumped on her vehicle and was covered in blood, forcing his way into the car and assaulting her as he tried to restrain her in her car.

The woman was able to get out of the car and call police.

When police arrived, Pammer had to be removed from the car, and he assaulted police officers by kicking them and spitting on police and EMS.

Once Pammer was in custody, police located a resident of Quince Road yelling for help as she hid behind a car.

The woman said she lived alone in the apartment, and Pammer, who is her cousin, showed up unannounced and was acting weird and began going into a rage.

The woman said Pammer kicked the door in, throwing things at her and physically assaulted her.

The woman was able to escape the house and hid until police arrived.

She said she didn’t know how the fire started.

Pammer has been charged with burglary, robbery of a motor vehicle, criminal trespass, aggravated assault, unlawful restraint, simple assault, indecent exposure, disorderly conduct, public intoxication and harassment.

The fire is still under investigation, and additional charges could be added to the complaint.

The residence suffered severe damage from the fire.

Police suspect Pammer’s behavior could be caused by use of drugs.

Assisting with the incident were Moore Township, Slatington and Walnutport police departments, Northampton Regional EMS, Lehigh Township Fire Department, Slatington Fire Department, Walnutport Fire Department, Northampton Fire Department, and Palmerton Fire Department.