New York man seriously injured in assault

Amanda Christman, Standard-Speaker, Hazleton, Pa.

Feb. 18—A New York man was "gravely" injured after being punched twice in the head outside a Hazleton convenience store Saturday morning.

And, after the "knockout" the assailant stomped on his head three times while he was unconscious, say Hazleton police.

The assault was captured on video surveillance and assisted police in identifying the attacker as Joshua H. Keziah, 32, Berwick, who has a letter "A" tattooed on his forehead, court papers say.

Keziah was apprehended Tuesday with assistance from the United States Marshals Fugitive Task Force and Briar Creek Twp. police, who executed a search warrant at his home. He was taken into custody without incident for a felony count of aggravated assault.

Magisterial District Judge Joseph Zola, Hazleton, denied Keziah bail due to the severity of injuries inflicted on the victim and he was brought to Luzerne County Correctional Facility, Wilkes-Barre, where he awaits a preliminary hearing. Hazleton police also charged him in a domestic violence case with felonies for strangulation and aggravated assault and a misdemeanor for reckless endangerment.

Zola denied him bail in that case, too.

According to arrest papers:

Police were called to the shopping plaza at 1003 N. Vine St., near West 22nd Street, around 9:30 a.m. for an unresponsive man. Patrol officers found Frantz J. Orcel, 38, unconscious and bleeding from the head and face. He was taken by ambulance to a hospital.

Video surveillance from a store showed the men arguing outside. That altercation escalated when Orcel put his hands on Keziah's chest. Keziah hit Orcel one time each on both sides of Orcel's face, in what police described as a boxer's knockout punch.

Orcel collapsed to the pavement and didn't move as Keziah stomped on his head three times. Keziah then moved Orcel's arm but it fell limp on his unconscious body. Before leaving, Keziah appears to take a picture of a "gravely" injured Orcel and then walks south through the parking lot.

The victim, who was released on unsecured bail from jail the day prior for two assault cases pending in Luzerne County Court, was taken to Lehigh Valley Hospital-Hazleton, according to court papers and dockets. Both of those assault cases were investigated by Hazleton police and have April trial dates.

Medical staff at the hospital told police Orcel's injuries indicated that he had "irreparable" brain damage and brain swelling that compromised his breathing and heartbeat. His prognosis at that time showed he wasn't expected to survive.

The assault on Orcel wasn't the only altercation Hazleton police accused Keziah of. That same morning, they said he assaulted a woman during a domestic violence incident, grabbing her by the throat, they said.

Contact the writer: achrist

man@standardspeaker.com; 570-501-3584

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