Joppa Man Charged After I-95 'Gestures,' Gunshots

A 34-year-old Joppa man is facing assault charges after allegedly shooting at another driver on U.S. Interstate 95 Wednesday.

Nicholas Heider, 34, of the 1600 block of Dugan Drive, was charged Wednesday with first- and second-degree assault, reckless endangerment, reckless endangerment from a car, illegally having a handgun in a vehicle and use of a handgun in commission of a felony or violent crime.

He was being held at the in lieu of $50,000 bail Thursday morning.

The charges stem from an alleged road rage incident on I-95.

Around 4 p.m., Maryland State Police received a 911 call from someone driving north on I-95, according to a release from state police. The caller said another driver had allegedly fired about three shots at his vehicle as they approached Exit 74 for Maryland Route 152, according to the release.

The caller said he and the other driver had been cutting each other off and gesturing at one another after a dispute over who had the right of way, according to the release.

The 911 caller gave troopers the license plate number of the other car involved, according to police.

Troopers from both the Bel Air barrack and the JFK highway barrack along with searched the area. Police ultimately went to Heider's address and called his home, according to the release.

Heider was taken into custody Wednesday afternoon without incident. No one was injured during the incident and troopers found no evidence that the other driver's car had been hit by gunfire.

State police searched Heider's home after getting a search warrant and found a semi-automatic handgun inside, according to the release.