Number of stranded motorists nearly doubles after filling up at a gas station in Bethlehem Twp., police say

At least 18 drivers reported to police that they had broken down after refueling at a gas station in Bethlehem Township.

Township police found more than 10 vehicles stranded along Freemansburg Avenue and adjacent streets shortly after 11:15 a.m. Tuesday. All drivers reported purchasing only a certain amount of gas at the Raceway gas station at 3608 Freemansburg Ave., said township police Capt. Shaun Powell.

Powell told lehighvalleylive.com Wednesday morning that more drivers came forward throughout Tuesday. Two drivers contacted a lehighvalleylive.com reporter Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning with similar reports of cars breaking down after they stopped for gas at the same race track.

All vehicles have since been towed. The site has six gas stations, including two that sell diesel. The pumps remained closed Wednesday morning until the Northampton County Department of Weights and Measures investigates the incident.

The Pennsylvania Department of Weights and Measures could potentially take two weeks to complete its investigation, Brittney Waylen, Northampton County’s deputy administrative director, told lehighvalleylive.com on Wednesday.

“… the incident is still ongoing,” Waylen said, noting that state officials would be on site Wednesday.

A Raceway representative did not immediately respond to a request for information this week.

The community’s Raceway gas station opened in July 2023. It is located on the site of the former Pagats Auto Service, which closed in 2022 after more than sixty years of operation, the Morning Call newspaper reported.

SWG Freemansburg Gas, a limited liability company, purchased the property in November 2022 for $535,000, WFMZ-69 News reported. It is reportedly operated by Jimmy Singh, who also operates other raceway locations in the area, including those on Easton Avenue in Bethlehem and Bethlehem Township and on Washington Boulevard in Washington Township, Northampton County.

Please subscribe now and support the local journalism you rely on and trust.

Pamela Sroka-Holzmann can be reached at [email protected].