Background: Lycoming County Prison, Williamsport, Pennsylvania (Google Maps). Inset left shows Paden Frey of the Lycoming Regional Police Department; inset right displays Officer Michael McGeehan of the Middlesex Township Police Department.
During a family gathering at a Pennsylvania cabin, a man allegedly pressed his forearm against an off‑duty police officer’s neck, resulting in a fatal strangulation, according to authorities.
Paden Frey, 25, now faces third‑degree murder charges for the death of 44‑year‑old Middlesex Township Police Officer Michael McGeehan, along with counts of strangulation, involuntary manslaughter, and reckless endangerment, according to court records.
He remains incarcerated at Lycoming County Prison in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, without bail.
In the early morning of July 11, Frey, McGeehan and several others gathered at a cabin on 7190 Dam Run Road in Cummings Township, a rural spot in north‑central Pennsylvania.
According to an affidavit obtained by regional NBC affiliate WGAL, McGeehan had been drinking, and a few people on the porch were urging him to head to bed. A roughly ten‑minute struggle followed, during which Frey allegedly restrained McGeehan and pressed his forearm against the officer’s neck until the off‑duty cop lost consciousness.
McGeehan’s wife reported that Frey ordered her to step back, lie on the victim, and shouted that he would “put him to sleep.” The defendant then allegedly left McGeehan alone on the porch.
The Lycoming Regional Police Department said officers were dispatched to the scene for an “unresponsive male,” and upon arrival they discovered that McGeehan was dead.
WGAL reported that McGeehan lay on his back with a purple discoloration on his face.
“A joint investigation by the Regional Police and the Lycoming County Coroner’s Office found that Frey and McGeehan engaged in a physical altercation, and Frey is alleged to have strangled McGeehan, causing his death,” the department said.
Frey allegedly withheld details about what actually happened.
According to the affidavit, the defendant told investigators that he and another individual “had been fighting with Michael, trying to get him to go to sleep.” Frey added that “eventually they got him” to lie down “on the porch where he fell asleep.”
Two days later, an autopsy concluded that McGeehan died from “manual strangulation by forearm compression of the neck,” and ruled the death a homicide.
The Middlesex Township Police Department announced McGeehan’s “unexpected passing” on July 13. He had served the department for 12 years, noted for his professionalism, integrity, compassion, and unwavering commitment to the job.
“While Mike was proud of his career in law enforcement, his greatest pride and purpose in life were found at home,” his obituary read. He is survived by his wife and five sons.
Frey was arrested on Wednesday and is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on October 21.
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