N.J. man seriously wounded in road rage incident

When Thomas Timko pulled into traffic on the Schuylkill Expressway in South Philadelphia, he may have mistakenly cut off another vehicle.

For that, he paid a high price.

Timko, 41, of Glendora, Camden County, was critically wounded Sunday night when another driver became so enraged that he leveled a .40-caliber gun from the window of his vehicle and shot Timko in the head as Timko tried to shield his 8-year-old daughter, Katie, who was belted in the backseat.

"This whole incident is a nightmare," Sgt. Cynthia Cureton of South Detectives said as she pleaded with motorists who may have seen the shooting to contact police.

After Timko managed to get his car to the side of the expressway, his daughter got out and flagged down help, possibly saving his life, the girl's mother and police said.

Timko's girlfriend, Dawn Roccia, 40, was still trying to understand what happened.

"He is not a violent person," Roccia said of Timko, with whom she lives in a split-level house in the Glendora section of Gloucester Township. "There's no way he would get into a confrontation with his daughter in the backseat."

Roccia's brother-in-law Rick Boutilier, 43, of the Catalina Hills section of Gloucester Township, said Timko doesn't have any enemies. "This was just a senseless crime," he said.

Police spokesman Lt. Frank Vanore called the shooting "horrible" and said "it's amazing that the violence grew to the level of a shooting."

Police have been relying partly on the recollection of Timko's daughter to recreate what happened and are still trying to piece together a timeline.

Police said Timko was returning his daughter to her mother's home in Norristown, driving Roccia's 2001 Toyota Highlander. He crossed the Walt Whitman Bridge and pulled over just before the Passyunk exit, shortly before 9 p.m.

"He pulled over briefly and then was merging back into traffic," Vanore said, adding that Timko apparently may have cut off another driver.

Katie Timko told police there was an exchange between the other driver and her father, who opened the moonroof and gestured with his hand.

Police found four bullet casings on the highway near the left lane where Timko stopped after he was shot, Vanore said.

"It looks like maybe he turned back and was trying to shield his daughter or push her down," Vanore said.

With so many shots fired, Roccia said, "I don't know how she's alive."

Timko was shot in the right side of his forehead after a bullet shattered the rear passenger window, police said. At least three bullets went into the Highlander.

A passerby called in what appeared to be an accident. State police found Timko slumped over in the car and his daughter in the vehicle of a woman who had stopped to help.

Police said cameras are stationed along some areas of the highway, but they monitor traffic. They do not appear to have recorded the shooting.

Katie Timko's mother, who did not want to be identified, said the girl reported that "Daddy was hit in the head and then he pulled over, and he fell asleep," according to a report on CBS3.

"And then she opened her door and was yelling for help. And then the lady had stopped and pulled her out of the truck . . . and called 911. I am so proud of her. She saved her daddy's life. . . . I don't know how, but a guardian angel had to be watching over her."

Timko was rushed to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, where he remained in critical condition last night, police said.

"The way that shooting went down, two people could be dead," Boutilier said. "If this guy isn't found now, somebody will be dead. This guy will kill somebody sooner or later. Hopefully, a sick guy like that gets caught."

Boutilier said that Timko had been put on a respirator to help him breathe, but that "all signs are pointing to him getting better."

Alex Dinolfi, who grew up about 10 doors away from the Timko family on Kohn Street in Norristown, said he worked with Timko at a Bensalem manufacturer until the business closed last year.

He said the news of the shooting sickened him.

"He's a good guy," Dinolfi said. "A really good guy."

Anyone with information is asked to call South Detectives at 215-686-3013.