The Penn Street Bridge officially has a new name.
Gov. Josh Shapiro on Monday signed a bill to rename the bridge the Police Officer Scott A. Wertz Memorial Bridge.
Wertz dedicated 20 years of his life to public service and law enforcement. A lifelong Berks County resident and 1984 graduate of Wilson High School, he worked six years as a correctional officer at Berks Count Prison before joining the Reading Police Department in 1997.
On Aug. 6, 2006, Wertz died in the line of duty while responding to a call to assist fellow officers who were attempting to break up a fight.
Wertz and his partner were working a plainclothes regional auto theft detail when a 2 a.m. call was broadcast about a fight at a convenience store lot at Eight and Walnut streets. When the officers arrived, they heard several shots in the parking lot and saw a man leaving the lot.
As the officers approached, the man ran. Wertz chased and grabbed the man from behind, but the suspect fired two shots, fatally striking Wertz in the chest. Wertz’s partner immediately tackled the suspect and took him into custody.
The suspect, Cletus Rivera, was convicted of first-degree murder by an out-of-county jury and is on Pennsylvania’s death row.
A formal event to the celebrate the renaming of the bridge will be held when the new signage is ready.
Sen. Judy Schawnk, a Ruscombmanor Township Democrat, sponsored the bill and said it is a fitting tribute to Wertz’s service to Reading.
Source: Berkshire mont