Two More Victims Come Forward in Deadly Rock-Throwing Spree, Bringing Total to Seven

Two more motorists have come forward in Jefferson County claiming to be victims of deadly rock-throwing attacks, with police telling Westword that the individuals were both targeted on the night of April 19 — just fifteen minutes before another driver, Alexa Bartell, was struck and fatally wounded.

The two new victims, who were not hurt, had no idea that their respective incidents were part of a crime spree until after seeing a report about Bartell's death on television, according to police.

"When they saw that on the news, they knew," says Jefferson County Sheriff's Office spokesperson Jenny Fulton. "Typically, if it's an isolated incident like this, people will just report it to insurance. But when they saw what happened and how we were requesting other victims, knowing what they know about what happened to them, [the motorists] went ahead and reported it."

Both were traveling southbound on Highway 93 in an area near Highway 128 when large rocks were thrown through their windshields. "Two separate cars — one in front of the other," Fulton says.

One of the motorists was driving a minivan, according to police, while the other was in a Subaru Forester. The minivan was struck first, Fulton says, and the Subaru driver told investigators that they saw the wrecked minivan after their car was struck.

Cops believe the attacks began happening around 10 p.m. that night. Five others were reported, including the incident that killed Bartell. At least one other person was injured, Fulton says.

"We had five incidents reported, now we have these two additional ones," she notes. "Based on the timing of the reports, we are making the conclusion that they are all related."

Bartell, who was twenty years old, was driving north on Indiana Street in Jefferson County when a large rock came slamming through her window, fatally injuring her around 10:45 p.m. that Wednesday night, according to police. Bartell's employer, Commercial Flooring Services, is currently offering a $17,000 reward for any information related to her death and the incident.

Police have asked anyone with information about the rock attacks — or anyone who may have been targeted on April 19 or since then — to come forward. Authorities were still searching for a suspect as of 2:30 p.m. on Monday, April 24.