In the heart of Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, a community was left to grapple with the sudden and tragic loss of 17-year-old Garrett Patrick Gearhart. The young man, a senior at Stroudsburg High School, was fatally shot on the night of Saturday, November 30, 2024, inside a local Wawa convenience store on West Main Street. The incident unfolded from what authorities described as an argument between several people that escalated into a physical altercation.
According to police reports,
Gearhart had stepped in to help a friend who was involved in the dispute. It was at this point that 25-year-old Andrew Joseph Quattrochi allegedly pushed Gearhart to the ground, pulled out a handgun, and fired a single shot that struck the teenager in the neck. Gearhart was rushed to the emergency room at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Pocono, where he succumbed to his injuries. The shooter fled the scene immediately after the incident.
Investigators utilized surveillance footage to track a vehicle leaving the scene, which led them to Quattrochi. He later surrendered to the police and was arraigned on charges of homicide, assault, and endangering others. He is being held without bail. In the months following the shooting, further arrests were made in connection with the case. Andrew Quattrochi's brother, Christopher Quattrochi, 18, was charged with aggravated assault, conspiracy to commit riot, and other related offenses for his alleged role in the altercation. Their father, Joseph Quattrochi, also faced charges for reportedly assisting his son, Andrew, in leaving the scene after the shooting.
During a preliminary hearing, it was revealed that the interaction between the two groups began with a brief encounter in the Wawa parking lot. Quattrochi's family and friends left but returned to the store shortly after, leading to the fatal confrontation. The Monroe County District Attorney presented evidence that included surveillance video, autopsy reports, and text messages from Andrew Quattrochi to his girlfriend minutes after the shooting, in which he allegedly wrote, 'I am going to jail. I just shot some kid. I'm sorry, I love you.' Andrew Quattrochi is now awaiting trial for the death of Garrett Gearhart.
