Gettysburg police searching for those who set hiker on fire

[10-K]

10K - It would be like downtown Wilmington on a Friday or Saturday night after 11 p.m. I worked down there for years on front street. Great place before 11 p.m. which completely changes late at night.

eggsactly.

Shift change at 11:00 for sure. Lots of bars.

[ShakeyLeggs]

A few thoughts from the postings on this thread.

1. Him being out walking at 1am is irrelevant. Last I checked it was not illegal to be walking at 1am.

2. Him yelling back at the occupants of the car is also irrelevant. We don't know what he yelled and any speculation on what he yelled is just that speculation. He could have yelled HI for all we know.

What is RELEVANT is the FACT that the cars occupants made a conscious decision to track him down and attempt to MURDER him.

[tdoczi]

Wrong. Response = challenge. And don't be walking in strange towns at mid-night or even after dark. You don't know the neighborhoods.

there are people who get more angry and aggressive if you ignore them. especially if what theyve said to you is any way a question. ya know, the typical "hey where you going, I'M talking to YOU!" nonsense. it happens, not always, but you cant entirely dismiss the possibility and just say if you ignore everyone they will all leave you alone. its simple not true. just like fleeing from certain wild animals will only provoke a chase response, there are humans who feed on fear, theres no denying it.

[rocketsocks]

A buddy of mine and I were in down town Trenton where I use to live, and a car came by and yelled something, so Wes yells out "Butt licker", really Wes, that's your best reply....butt licker, LMAO I think the yellies even laughed at that one.

[10-K]

Wrong. Response = challenge. And don't be walking in strange towns at mid-night or even after dark. You don't know the neighborhoods.

Right. There are some things you just don't do, even if you had a really really bad day.

Like... walk out in front of a bus. I haven't ever heard anyone say, "Man, my day sucked and people were mean to me, and I lost my wallet, and I caught my wife with another man. I was so mad I walked in front of a bus and got run over".

Seriously though. You absolutely have to have self control in certain situations or you're going to get your butt kicked.

Anyway, I hope the hiker fully recovers and they catch the dirtbags that did this.

[10-K]

A few thoughts from the postings on this thread.

1. Him being out walking at 1am is irrelevant. Last I checked it was not illegal to be walking at 1am.

2. Him yelling back at the occupants of the car is also irrelevant. We don't know what he yelled and any speculation on what he yelled is just that speculation. He could have yelled HI for all we know.

What is RELEVANT is the FACT that the cars occupants made a conscious decision to track him down and attempt to MURDER him.

All true.. But I think being set on fire for doing irrelevant stuff is a bad deal.

I mean.. I could be all wrong - I don't know the whole story.

[10-K]

I love Whiteblaze. Where else could you get in a conversation like this?

[Rasty]

I love Whiteblaze. Where else could you get in a conversation like this?

Almost any maximum security facility for the mentally deranged.

[atmilkman]

No one can predict when you're going to be at the wrong place at the right or the right place at the wrong time. Evidentally this was one of those situations. As someone pointed out the hiker had every right to be out at 1:00 am. but I feel this was the wrong time. As others have said a no response would have been better but I feel this would have only temporarily prolonged the inevitable. These bastards were looking for a victim and nothing was going to stop them. We can only hope that they get caught and prosecuted to the fullest. It's a crying damn shame when you can't even walk down the street anymore. This hiker will be in our prayers and if anybody gets a donation fund set up count me in.

[imscotty]

A few thoughts from the postings on this thread.

1. Him being out walking at 1am is irrelevant. Last I checked it was not illegal to be walking at 1am.

2. Him yelling back at the occupants of the car is also irrelevant. We don't know what he yelled and any speculation on what he yelled is just that speculation. He could have yelled HI for all we know.

What is RELEVANT is the FACT that the cars occupants made a conscious decision to track him down and attempt to MURDER him.

Thank you very much for this ShakeyLeggs. I find the comments which seem to indicate that the hiker shared responsibility in this very disturbing. What are we suppose to do, stay off the streets after dark, avoid eye contact, keep our head down and cower in fear?

The hiker had every right to walk that street at any hour and every right to call out their bad behavior. I appreciate what 10-K's intent with his comments, to teach people how to stay safe and to have some street smarts. But at the end of the day this hiker deserves only our support, not our criticisms. It is only the monsters who commited this heinous crime that deserve our condemnation. They acted like savages and they need to be removed from civil society.

[10-K]

Imscotty, I completely and totally 100% agree with you in every way.

Thank you for seeing my point and thank you for getting my drift. I was not saying he deserved it, or did not have the right to be where he was.

It's just that you have to use your head when you're out and about - anywhere and anytime - to keep yourself safe.

Walking around town in the middle of the night in a strange city, yelling back at a car load of people who are obviously dangerous is more risky than say... walking to the Waffle House at 7:30 in the morning for a cup of coffee. You have an equal right to do both - go for it - but I know which one I'd pick.

[Pumba]

Here is the response I just received from the police chief:


Pumba:
I,too, am an AT hiker and an sincerely saddened by the callous disregard for human life that was displayed by the individuals involved in this callous act. The Gettysburg PD will work vigorously to solve this senseless act and prosecute who ever may be found responsible for it. I have made a copy of your e-mail and will see than the victim in this act receives it. Sincerely, Joe Dougherty Chief of Police

[Corporal_Dusty]

Well done, Pumba.
What a horrible thing to have happen. Here's hoping the hiker recovers quickly and they find the scum responsible for this.

[ShakeyLeggs]

It's just that you have to use your head when you're out and about - anywhere and anytime - to keep yourself safe.

Walking around town in the middle of the night in a strange city, yelling back at a car load of people who are obviously dangerous is more risky than say... walking to the Waffle House at 7:30 in the morning for a cup of coffee. You have an equal right to do both - go for it - but I know which one I'd pick.

While this is good advice, I feel that if we do as you say then the bad guys have won. When we change our behavior because some idiot may attempt to do us harm we are giving the bad guys more power than they deserve. I for one refuse to give them any more power than they already have.

[sloger]

Dosen't any one care at all about the condition of this fellow?

[ShakeyLeggs]

Dosen't any one care at all about the condition of this fellow?

Yes we care. But all we have to go on at the moment is what has been released by the authorities that state that he has been treated and released to recuperate at an undisclosed location with further care needed. So based on the information that he is alive and on the road to recovery we are exploring other topics of the subject until further information is released.

[TD55]

Dosen't any one care at all about the condition of this fellow?

There are members in touch with the hospital he was in, the hotel where he is staying, the Chief of Police and at least one member is from his home town. If you think enough is not being done to learn his condition and make contact with him, go to it. Suggesting members here are not concerned about his condition by asking this question is an insult.

[10-K]

While this is good advice, I feel that if we do as you say then the bad guys have won. When we change our behavior because some idiot may attempt to do us harm we are giving the bad guys more power than they deserve. I for one refuse to give them any more power than they already have.

I get what you're saying but I'm not talking about "Take back the night." stuff.

What I'm talking about has been true for thousands of years.. I suspect that back during Rameses reign in Egypt there were places/times you were more careful at than others.

[owl]

I hope they find the creeps and that Justice is harsh, quick, i hope the best for this Hikers Recovery

[ShakeyLeggs]

I get what you're saying but I'm not talking about "Take back the night." stuff.

What I'm talking about has been true for thousands of years.. I suspect that back during Rameses reign in Egypt there were places/times you were more careful at than others.

I also agree with what you say. But, while I agree that there are times and locations that we must be on a heightened sense of awareness and caution if we allow what might happen to cause us to go around all the time looking over our shoulder then they have won. Was it prudent for him to be out walking at 1 am? Probably not but I don't know I was not there. Was it prudent for him to shout at the car? Probably not, but we do not know what he shouted. Now this is based totally on hindsight with the knowledge of what happened. We would not be having this discussion if the individuals in the car when they confronted him the second time, struck up a conversation and learned that he was not in fact homeless and ended up talking about hiking. But those individuals chose to try and MURDER him. It was their choice and not his.

Moral of the story no matter how it goes down from here they won. We all will now be extra cautious in town, be less trusting around people in town. To me this is just as tragic and unconscionable as the actual assault he has had to endure. Their act not only assaulted and scarred him for life it also assaulted and scarred each and everyone of us.