James Alexander Hilton, a 40-year-old White/Caucasian male truck driver from Southampton, New Jersey, died in the early morning darkness of March 22, 2024, after a dispute at the Love's Travel Stop at 3700 Mountain Road in Upper Bern Township, near Hamburg, Pennsylvania. State police said troopers from the Hamburg station were called around 2:48 a.m. for a shooting in the rear parking lot. Hilton had been helping another truck driver park when an argument broke out with another trucker. The confrontation escalated quickly, and Hilton was shot. Emergency responders tried to help him, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
The man identified as the suspect was Travis Jerell Pugh of Jacksonville, Florida. After the shooting, police said Pugh left the truck stop in his tractor-trailer. Troopers issued a lookout for the truck, and he was located soon afterward on Interstate 78 westbound in Lehigh County. Authorities said he was stopped and taken into custody around 3:30 a.m., less than an hour after the shooting.
Pugh was initially charged with first-degree murder, third-degree murder, carrying a firearm without a license, aggravated assault, simple assault, possession of a weapon, two counts of recklessly endangering another person, tampering with evidence, disorderly conduct, and harassment. Reports based on the criminal complaint said investigators found a handgun holster and 9mm ammunition in his truck, and authorities said he did not have a license to carry a firearm in Pennsylvania or Florida.
Hilton's death left behind a young family and a community of people who described him as someone who was simply trying to help another driver when violence overtook the moment. A fundraiser for his wife, Poonyawee “Polly” Hilton, and their young son said he had been working as the family's sole supporter and was killed while doing what he often did: helping someone else.
The case later moved through Berks County court. In January 2026, Pugh was convicted of first-degree murder after a three-day jury trial. On February 18, 2026, he was sentenced to life in prison, followed by an additional sentence of three to ten years, closing the criminal case with a conviction and life sentence for Hilton's killing.
