Tennessee man arrested in brutal assault of Lehigh University students
BETHLEHEM, PA (WTXF) - Police have arrested a Tennesse man on assault charges after he and another man assaulted three Lehigh students last weekend.
The incident occurred on Sunday at 1:29 a.m. on the 500 block of East Fifth Street.
According to police, officers from the Bethelem Police Department and Lehigh University Police Department responded to the area after a report of an assault.
When they arrived, they found three injured victims - all students at Lehigh University.
The first victim was reported to be unconscious and suffered a broken nose, skull fracture, and a laceration to the face. The second victim was bleeding about his facial area and also suffered a skull fracture, left ear damage, and a concussion.
The third victim suffered a facial laceration. All three were taken to St. Luke's Hospital for treatment.
An investigation revealed that two white males exited a white vehicle and assaulted the victims. Surveillance video from city camera, Lehigh camera, and Sands Casino cameras aided in the investigation.
With assistance from investigators at Sands Casino, one of the males was identified as 30-year-old Christopher Navarrette of Tennessee.
Bethlehem Police checked local hotels in order to find the suspect vehicle.
On Tuesday evening, detectives located a vehicle matching the suspect vehicle parked at the Extended Stay America Hotel at 3050 Schoenersville Road in Bethlehem. Surveillance was conducted of the vehicle and a few minutes later, Navarrette was seen leaving a room at the hotel and taken into custody without incident.
Navarrette was charged with two counts of aggravated assault, two counts of simple assault, and two counts of harassment. He was arraigned and bail has been set a $100,000. He was committed to Northampton County Prison.
Police say a second male is under investigation at this time.