Police make arrest in 2023 East Vandergrift shooting

A Bell Township man faces criminal charges after he shot into a vehicle last year in East Vandergrift, causing more than $14,000 in damages, according to police.

Frank Callipare, 62, is charged with criminal mischief and property damage, a third-degree felony, over shots fired during an incident in March in East Vandergrift.

Vandergrift police filed the charges in District Judge Cheryl Peck Yakopec’s office. A preliminary hearing in the case is scheduled for Feb. 20.

According to the affidavit, Vandergrift police said they received a report the evening of March 11 for five shots fired in the 400 block of Kennedy Avenue in East Vandergrift. Officers searched the area but didn’t find anything.

The following morning, Vandergrift police said they took a call from a man who said his vehicle was shot at overnight. When officers arrived on the scene, they recorded five bullet holes in the man’s vehicle, the affidavit said.

The man told police he likely was asleep by the time of the shooting, shortly before midnight..

The man also told police he had several previous run-ins with Callipare over an ex-girlfriend. Callipare, police said, told them the man was contacting him and the woman after being told to stop and that he had complained to police about the calls for four months.

Police obtained video surveillance of the shooting from nearby residents.

When told the shooting was on video, police say Callipare told them to let him know when he was under arrest and that he needed to speak with an attorney.

A Murrysville auto shop reported $14,060 in damages to the vehicle, according to police.