Crystal Wawrzynski, a 37-year-old White/Caucasian female from Ellwood City, Pennsylvania, died on September 7, 2024, after a shooting at Breaker’s Pub on Portersville Road in Ellport Borough, Lawrence County. She was remembered as a mother of four, a wife, a daughter, a sister, and a grandmother whose life centered on her family. She had been married to Jonathan Wawrzynski since 2009, and those close to her described the loss as devastating for her husband, children, relatives, and
friends.
The shooting unfolded in the early morning hours, shortly before 2 a.m., after a man identified as Nathan Fink, 40, of Harmony, Pennsylvania, arrived at Breaker’s Pub and became involved in a physical altercation with patrons inside the bar. After the confrontation, Fink was escorted out of the establishment. Police said he left in a white GMC Sierra, but returned moments later to the parking lot armed with both a rifle and a handgun.
From outside the pub, Fink allegedly opened fire toward the building. Bullets struck vehicles, hit the exterior of the pub, and penetrated the main entrance door, reaching people inside. Crystal was among those struck by the gunfire and was pronounced dead at the scene from gunshot wounds. Reports indicated she had been near the front area of the bar when she was shot. Her husband, Jonathan Wawrzynski, was also wounded, though his injuries were described as non-life-threatening.
The violence did not end at the pub. After firing into Breaker’s Pub, police said Fink drove along Portersville Road and continued shooting at multiple businesses and residences. Four other people survived the gunfire. Jonathan Wawrzynski was injured, Joshua Lyons of Ellwood City suffered a serious gunshot injury and was taken to a Pittsburgh hospital, Edward Martin of Beaver Falls sustained a non-life-threatening wound, and David Huzenic of Ellwood City was shot while inside his apartment and was listed in stable condition.
Authorities identified Nathan Fink as the lone shooter. He was arrested without incident at his residence on Barkley Road in Perry Township at about 2:15 p.m. on September 7, 2024, the same day as the shooting. He was placed in the Lawrence County Jail and initially charged with criminal homicide and reckless endangering another person. Later reporting said additional charges were filed, including multiple counts of attempted homicide and recklessly endangering another person, reflecting the number of people who were wounded and the broader shooting spree along Portersville Road.
In early 2026, Fink pleaded guilty in connection with Crystal’s death and the shooting that injured the others. Online reporting stated that sentencing was tentatively scheduled for April 21, 2026, but no publicly available online report located confirms the final sentence or punishment imposed after that hearing.
