Crime
Del Rosario Del La Cruz Charged in Hazleton Shooting Incident
HAZLETON, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — A 21-year-old man has been charged in connection with a shooting that occurred in Hazleton earlier this year.
The Hazleton City Police Department reported that on September 6, officers responded to reports of gunfire near West 5th Street and North James Street. According to investigators, two unidentified males approached a group of people in a car and opened fire before fleeing the scene.
During the investigation, police identified and arrested the car’s owner, 21-year-old Jeifry Del Rosario Del La Cruz, who was also identified as a suspect in the shooting. Officials stated that DNA evidence from the scene matched Del Rosario Del La Cruz, leading to his arrest on November 27.
Del Rosario Del La Cruz faces multiple charges, including several counts of aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury or demonstrating extreme indifference, assault with a deadly weapon, and reckless endangerment, among other related offenses.
He was denied bail and remains in custody at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility as the investigation continues.
Teresa Youngblut faces federal firearm charges linked to the death of Agent David Maland.
BURLINGTON, Vt. — Teresa Youngblut, a 21-year-old woman from the Seattle area, has entered a not guilty plea to federal firearm charges related to the fatal shooting of U.S. Border Patrol Agent David Maland in Vermont this January.
Youngblut is accused of using a deadly weapon to assault a Border Patrol agent and discharging a firearm during the incident. The charges stem from a traffic stop in northern Vermont that escalated into a shootout, resulting in the deaths of Agent Maland and Youngblut’s companion, Felix Bauckholt, a German citizen.
During a hearing in Burlington on Friday, Youngblut was ordered to remain in custody. Her next court appearance is set for May 8.
Investigators have revealed that the firearm used in the Vermont shooting was purchased by an individual linked to the December 31, 2022, murders of Richard and Rita Zajko in Chester Heights, Pennsylvania. Court documents filed by U.S. Attorney Michael Drescher indicate that Youngblut and the gun buyer were in regular contact with a person of interest detained in connection with the Pennsylvania case, who is also being investigated for a separate homicide in California.
Youngblut, a graduate of the prestigious Lakeside School in north Seattle, had filed for a marriage license in November with Maximilian Snyder. Snyder, who also attended Lakeside School, is currently facing charges for the fatal stabbing of a man in northern California.
According to the FBI, Youngblut and Bauckholt had been under surveillance for several days prior to the January 20 shootout. Prior to the incident, the pair had been renting separate units in the same Chapel Hill, North Carolina, neighborhood. The property owner, who requested anonymity due to safety concerns, stated that Bauckholt initially rented a unit through Airbnb in July 2023 before moving to a second unit later that year. Youngblut began renting the original unit in November 2024 and had paid nearly $10,000 to extend her stay through March.
The case continues to unfold as authorities investigate the connections between the Vermont shooting and other violent crimes across the country.