BRIDGEVILLE, DE - The Delaware State Police are asking for your help in locating a man who they say assaulted a Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) employee on Tuesday and fled into Maryland, sparking a manhunt in Caroline County.
Police say they were called to Handy Road in Bridgeville on August 5 just after 9:30 a.m. on reports of an assault. There, troopers say they were told John Gleysteen, 30, of Bridgeville, collided with a DelDOT tractor that was mowing grass. Gleysteen then proceeded to argue with the DelDOT employee, according to police, before leaving the scene. Investigators say he then returned with a chainsaw, which he started and placed near the tire of the tractor.
Delaware State Police say Gleysteen then forced his way into the DelDOT tractor’s cab, assaulted the victim, damaged his belongings, and fled the scene. The DelDOT employee was luckily not injured, according to police.
An extensive search was then launched in Caroline County, MD, near Federalsburg on Tuesday afternoon. Police halted the search operation at about 3:30 p.m., according to the Caroline County Sheriff’s Office.
Gleysteen is described as a 30-year-old white male, about 5'10", 185lbs, and reportedly was last seen wearing light-colored khaki shorts and no shirt. DSP says he was last seen driving a silver Ford F-250 with Delaware vanity plate reading “SUPRTUF.”
Anyone with information on Gleysteen’s whereabouts is asked to call 9-1-1 or the Delaware State Police at 302-337-1090.
