Nov 24, 2002 By Patty Shultz 2 min read

CONNELLSVILLE – As city and other area emergency personnel were responding to Thursday’s fuel spill, the federal government was considering if it was tied to a terrorist act. City Police Chief Stephen Cooper was called from the Route 119 accident scene to answer questions being posed by a federal agent regarding the circumstances surrounding the accident and the identity of the truck driver.

While he declined to identify the person who made the telephone call to the police station or the specific agency seeking the information, Cooper said the accident met the criteria for a federal investigation.

“It was a tanker truck hauling fuel that had its contents spilling into a waterway,” he said. “(The incident) fits what could be considered a terrorist attack.”

With broadcast and print media on the ground and in helicopters in the air, it didn’t take long for the news to travel to the agencies connected to homeland security, Cooper speculated.

“They wanted to know who the driver was, where he came from or if there was a possibility that the truck could have been hijacked,” said Cooper.

He said he was able to provide sufficient information to the agent that confirmed it was an accident and that local people were involved, and it was not seen as an act of terrorism by those investigating.

“I never gave it any thought that it was connected to a terrorist act, but then I was right here,” said Cooper. “Someone elsewhere is getting bits and pieces of information from a television report. We had first-hand experience that they’re doing their job and taking immediate action.”