A Pennsylvania man got an unsettling surprise when his neighbor allegedly marched up and down their street brandishing a pitchfork, threatening to stab him and burn down his home.
Susan Shea, 58, is now facing charges of terroristic threats with intent to terrorize another, harassment and disorderly conduct, according to court records from Mercer County reviewed by Law&Crime.
The Pennsylvania State Police responded to a call on Henry Road in Otter Creek Township, roughly 80 miles north of Pittsburgh, on Saturday. A man there reported that his neighbor was harassing and threatening both him and his son.
When a trooper arrived, Shea was reportedly “dancing with a pitchfork” while shouting at her neighbor from the middle of the road, according to a criminal complaint obtained by regional NBC affiliate WFMJ. The officer directed her to return home before turning to interview the man who had called police.
According to the neighbor’s account, Shea had been screaming and dragging the pitchfork along the street near his house. She allegedly said she would “burn down both his house and his son’s house with him and his family in it” unless she was paid back for her chickens, though the specifics of that grievance remain unclear.
At one point, she reportedly warned, “If you take a step towards me, I will put this pitchfork through you,” according to the complaint. She’s also accused of threatening to kill the son’s dog.
Investigators say the neighbor recorded video of Shea while she stood holding the pitchfork. In the clip, she can allegedly be heard saying, “You guys are going to have nightmares of my face. I’m the new Freddy Krueger,” a nod to the horror franchise “A Nightmare on Elm Street.”
Shea was taken into custody and booked into the Mercer County Jail. Records show she’s due for a preliminary hearing on Oct. 26.
