An arrest warrant has been issued for a man accused of pushing his wife's red corvette into the Delaware River Monday.
John Kramer, 50, is charged with contempt, violation of protection from abuse order, harassment and recklessly endangering another person. According to police, the reckless endangerment charge is for endangering the divers who searched for his car.
Kramer's wife, a Northeast Philadelphia resident, told NBC10 he husband sent threatening texts to her and their teenage daughter moments before pushing their car into the river.
"He had threatened that he would put the car in the river," the estranged wife said.
"He then texted my daughter and said, ‘you have two minutes,’ and then he texted back and said, ‘It’s done LOL.’”
The woman asked not to be identified, saying she has a protection from abuse (PFA) order against her husband.
"I have a PFA and he was disgruntled about that,” she said.
The woman said she called 911 Monday night after seeing breaking news reports about a 1990 red Corvette in the water near Magee Lane and New State Road — just below Interstate 95 — in Northeast Philly.
"I called 911 and asked them if that was my car and they confirmed that it was but we didn’t know at the time if he was in the car or not,” she said.
Witnesses told police Kramer fled the scene shortly after the car fell into the water.
The woman said she recently tried to work out a car exchange with her husband, but it didn't go well.
“He had wanted to switch the corvette for the van and indicated that he wanted to come get it,” she said. "I told him he had to leave the ‘vette in order to get the van.”
“He wasn’t allowed to come here so he would have to wait for somebody to meet with him.”
The woman claims Kramer violated the PFA and repeatedly tried to get in touch with her throughout the day Monday.
"Because I have the PFA ... I ignored him all day and he was texting me and also calling my work phone and I just saved the messages and showed them to the detectives,” she said.
The couple is going through a divorce. Their issues escalated after her adult son died in June, the wife told NBC10's Rosemary Connors. The woman said she is worried for her husband's safety but also for her own safety and the safety of their two daughters who are 15 and 17.
While charges for Kramer have been approved, police are still searching for him.
Photo Credit: Denise Nakano
