John E. Swartz helped to constrain an armed assailant, Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania, June 1, 2010. Swartz, 47, automobile body technician, had just arrived home from work when the teenaged girl who lived next door ran to his house and told him that her father had just shot her and her mother. Swartz immediately set out in his truck to get help, but the assailant intercepted him and shot at him twice, at close range, missing him. Swartz continued to a commercial garage nearby and alerted others to the assault. The assailant then centered his attention on another responding neighbor, chasing him around a parked car and firing at him before running after his wife. Bloodied, the assailant’s wife ran onto the highway in front of Swartz’s house and flagged down an approaching car. The driver stopped for her and allowed her to enter through the passenger door. The assailant then walked up the driver’s door, opened it, and shot the driver, mortally wounding her, as his wife fled the vehicle to safety. The assailant returned to his house. From the garage, Swartz saw that shooting. He drove to the scene and parked his truck across the highway to block any oncoming traffic. He then responded to the car to tend to the driver, as did the other neighbor, but the assailant fired at them. They sought refuge in Swartz’s yard while maintaining verbal contact with the assailant, helping to keep him at his property. Police arrived shortly and arrested him. The assailant’s wife and daughter required hospital treatment for their wounds, and they recovered.
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Obituary
John Swartz, 62, of Mt. Pleasant, (Calumet), died Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024, at home. John was born June 15, 1962, son of Jack and Margaret Swartz. John is survived by two brothers, Thomas and Gary. He is also survived by his spouse, JoAnn Brown; and sons, Tim Weinman and John Swartz Jr. He also has two stepsons he raised and loved as his own, Jesse Carnes (Lindsey) and Nicholas Carnes (deceased). Since 2002, John has participated in The Tee to Green golf league at Norvelt Golf Course. Teeing off with his friends every Tuesday afternoon was one of John’s favorite activities. Last, but not least, John took pride in coaching kids on the Main Bowling Junior League. If you have a child who joined the league in the past 20 years, you knew John. He loved working with the kids and was one of his greatest pleasures. John was also the recipient of the John D. Rockafeller Foundation Award for selflessly trying to save people during a shooting in his neighborhood in 2010.