Bethel Park Neighbors Share Shock at Crooks News

BETHEL PARK, Pa. (WOIO) – Bethel Park residents were alarmed, dismayed and shocked to learn their neighbor was behind the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump.

“But when we found out it was in Bethel, it was horrible, horrible, just horrible,” Melanie said.

She lives a few blocks from Milton Drive, where Thomas Crooks lived. The road is tucked away in a normally quiet neighborhood in Bethel Park, a suburb south of Pittsburgh, about an hour and a half from Butler, the site of Trump’s rally on Saturday.

“I feel bad, I feel bad for the people directly affected in this community,” Melanie said.

She was near her home to check on friends as media and law enforcement descended on the area following the investigation into a shooting that left two people dead (including the shooter) and two others seriously injured, in addition to hitting former President Trump.

Melanie still remembers watching that moment on Saturday.

“It was overwhelming and heartbreaking to see what happened to President Trump. I immediately got down on my knees. My family was watching. We got down on our knees and started praying,” Melanie said.

She and other neighbors shared their shock as they learned, as the story unfolded, that the shooter was from their neighborhood.

Adding to the surprise are all the connections the Crooks have, from neighbors to former classmates and co-workers to law enforcement.

It all paints a picture of a quiet person who graduated from Bethel Park High School in 2022 and who many consider an outcast.

He worked as a dietary aide at Bethel Park Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation, less than a mile from his home in rolling hills.

As law enforcement and local residents continue to struggle to uncover the motivation behind the attack, Melanie hopes Saturday’s events will help unite people rather than further divide them.

“I hope there will be a unifying factor in all of this, but I don’t think that will happen,” Melanie said.