A Pottsville man is behind bars after police say he violently attacked multiple people, including his mother, stepfather, a neighbor, and two bystanders, during a chaotic incident Friday evening.
According to the Pottsville Bureau of Police, officers were called to the 100 block of North 18th Street around 7:54 p.m. on August 8, 2025, for a report of an assault in progress. When police arrived, they found 26-year-old Aaron Herrera on the ground being restrained by several people. Herrera was bleeding from the head and shouting profanities, and several others at the scene also had visible injuries.
Investigators say the violence began when Herrera asked his mother for $500. When she told him she did not have the money but that dinner was ready, Herrera allegedly refused the meal and began punching her in the head multiple times. His stepfather entered the kitchen after hearing the commotion, but police say Herrera turned on him as well, striking him repeatedly. Both parents became trapped in a corner between the back door and the refrigerator as Herrera allegedly knelt on his mother’s back and continued hitting her.
A neighbor, hearing the disturbance, banged on the family’s door. Police say Herrera stopped the attack on his parents and exited the home, kicking both family dogs on his way out. Outside, Herrera allegedly punched the female neighbor in the face “at least four times,” breaking her glasses. Two other male neighbors tried to intervene but were struck in the abdomen before the group was able to subdue him.
Herrera’s mother sustained multiple large contusions to her head, as well as bruising and scratches to her arm. His stepfather suffered facial injuries, a swollen and bleeding right eye, a cut and swelling to his lip, and a laceration to his cheek. Both were taken by a friend to Geisinger-St. Luke’s Hospital in Orwigsburg, where they were diagnosed with concussions.
Herrera was charged with two counts of aggravated assault, three counts of simple assault, five counts of harassment, one count of criminal mischief, two counts of cruelty to animals, and disorderly conduct. He was arraigned by Magisterial District Judge Serina, who set bail at $150,000 straight cash and locked up in Schuylkill County Prison.