A Norristown, Pennsylvania, police sergeant is facing multiple criminal charges after prosecutors said he used excessive and unjustified force when he struck an unarmed naked man with his patrol vehicle, launching him into the air and seriously endangering his life. The incident, which occurred on February 4 at the intersection of West Airy and Stanbridge streets, has drawn scrutiny from law enforcement officials and prosecutors who say the officer’s actions were neither necessary nor proportionate to the situation he confronted.
Authorities allege the man, though behaving erratically and damaging property, did not present a threat that justified the level of force used. The charges against Sergeant Daniel DeOrzio, 52, mark a significant escalation in the legal consequences surrounding the encounter, with prosecutors emphasizing that alternative methods of control were available but not used.
Details of the February 4 Confrontation
According to Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele, the incident unfolded when officers responded to reports of a man who was naked, screaming, and damaging vehicles in a Norristown neighborhood. The man was described as unarmed, visibly distressed, and engaging in disruptive behavior that prompted police intervention.
When Sergeant Daniel DeOrzio arrived at the scene, prosecutors say the situation had not escalated into a direct threat to officers or others that would justify deadly force. The man was reportedly standing in the roadway with his hands on his hips at the time of the encounter. It was at this moment, according to the district attorney’s account, that DeOrzio accelerated his police vehicle toward the man and struck him.
The force of the impact propelled the man into the air, sending him several feet before he landed on the roadway. Authorities described the collision as severe enough to create a substantial risk of death or catastrophic injury. The man was transported to Main Line Health Paoli Hospital, where he received medical treatment before being discharged on Friday, February 6.
Prosecutors noted that although the man had been behaving destructively and erratically, his actions amounted to misdemeanor offenses rather than violent crimes requiring immediate lethal intervention. Officials emphasized that he was not armed and was not actively attacking officers when the vehicle struck him. The district attorney’s office concluded that the decision to use a patrol vehicle in this manner constituted a potentially lethal use of force. Prosecutors described the act as one that placed the man’s life in jeopardy unnecessarily and without sufficient justification.
Prosecutors Say Alternative Measures Were Available
District Attorney Steele stated that the investigation determined Sergeant DeOrzio had multiple options available to address the situation without resorting to striking the man with a vehicle. According to prosecutors, law enforcement officers are trained to respond to disruptive or erratic behavior with graduated levels of force, beginning with verbal engagement and progressing only as necessary.
Steele explained that officers could have attempted verbal commands, coordinated with additional personnel to contain the individual, or deployed less-than-lethal tools such as tasers or other control methods. These approaches, prosecutors argued, would have aligned more closely with standard policing practices for handling unarmed individuals engaged in nonviolent or misdemeanor-level offenses.
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“The investigation found that this was not a necessary use of deadly force,” Steele said in a public statement announcing the charges. Prosecutors classified the use of a moving vehicle against the individual as a level of force capable of causing death or serious bodily harm, particularly given the circumstances under which the collision occurred.
Authorities further indicated that police training and departmental policy are designed to ensure that officers apply force in proportion to the threat presented. The district attorney’s office concluded that DeOrzio’s actions did not meet that standard. Instead, prosecutors said the conduct represented a significant departure from accepted procedures and risked causing irreversible harm.
The decision to file charges followed an investigation that reviewed available evidence from the scene, witness accounts, and other materials documenting the encounter. Officials determined that the use of force was not only excessive but also avoidable. Prosecutors also emphasized the importance of evaluating police conduct in situations involving individuals experiencing apparent distress or disorientation. While the man’s behavior had prompted calls to police, authorities stated that the response must still be guided by proportionality and necessity.
Criminal Charges and Legal Proceedings
As a result of the investigation, Sergeant Daniel DeOrzio has been formally charged with several criminal offenses. Court records show he faces charges of aggravated assault, simple assault, official oppression, and recklessly endangering another person. Aggravated assault charges generally reflect conduct that causes or attempts to cause serious bodily injury under circumstances demonstrating extreme indifference to human life.
Prosecutors allege that striking the man with a police vehicle constituted precisely that type of conduct. The additional charges reflect allegations that the officer abused his authority and placed the individual at substantial risk of harm. DeOrzio was arraigned on Tuesday following the filing of charges. He was released on $100,000 unsecured bail, meaning he is not required to pay the amount unless he fails to comply with court conditions or does not appear for scheduled proceedings.
Publicly available records do not list an attorney representing DeOrzio at this time. Efforts to contact him through a publicly listed telephone number were unsuccessful, and he has not issued a public statement regarding the charges. The case now moves into the judicial process, where prosecutors will present evidence supporting their claims that the use of force was unlawful and excessive. The legal proceedings will determine whether DeOrzio’s actions meet the statutory definitions of the offenses charged.
Officials have not indicated a specific timeline for future court hearings, though such cases typically involve pretrial motions, evidentiary reviews, and potential hearings before any trial occurs. The outcome will depend on the court’s assessment of the facts and whether prosecutors can demonstrate that the officer’s conduct violated criminal law. The district attorney’s office has framed the charges as a response to findings that the force used was disproportionate to the threat posed.
Prosecutors emphasized that law enforcement officers are authorized to use force only when it is necessary and justified under the circumstances. The injured man’s recovery and release from the hospital were confirmed by authorities, though no additional details about his medical condition have been disclosed beyond the fact that he was treated and discharged.
The case has drawn attention to the standards governing police use of force and the circumstances under which officers may deploy potentially lethal methods. Prosecutors have made clear that, in their view, the evidence shows the threshold for such force was not met in this incident. Sergeant DeOrzio remains free on bail as the legal process continues, with the charges representing the formal beginning of criminal proceedings related to the February 4 encounter in Norristown.