A Lehighton man is charged with dropping large rocks, one of them weighing an estimated five pounds, onto vehicles from his third floor apartment along Route 209 in the borough.

Two of the vehicles were moving when the rocks struck their windshields. An elderly couple was in one car, and a woman and young children were in the other car.Police said the man, Matthew Fredrick Palenzuela, told a doctor he tossed the rocks because he was depressed.Palenzuela, 66, of 178 S. First St., had a hearing scheduled Monday before District Judge Edward M. Lewis of Jim Thorpe.The hearing was continued until May 28, to allow time for Palenzuela to have a mental health evaluation.Palenzuela is being held in the Carbon County Correctional Facility, Nesquehoning, in lieu of $50,000 bail.Arresting officer Neal A. Ebbert said the incident happened about 12:20 p.m. on Feb. 17.When Ebbert arrived on scene, a witness pointed out where the rocks that hit the vehicles originated.According to the affidavit, Ebbert said when police went to the man's door, he failed to answer."We heard him say it was over and he was ending it," Ebbert said.Police forced their way into the apartment, and Palenzuela was "seated on the couch holding approximately a 12-inch knife to his midsection."Police disarmed Palenzuela without incident.Marvin Fritzinger Jr. and Kathryn O'Brian occupied one car."Both occupants were very shaken. Kathryn thought they had been shot at. They felt lucky not to have been injured or killed," the affidavit said.Candace Gandy was in the other car with her two children.The parked vehicle was a 2006 Jaguar with a sun roof, owned by Christopher R. Eberly.A rock, estimated to weigh five pounds, went through the sun roof and was found on the front seat."While transporting the defendant to the hospital, he began to apologize to this officer and asked if I was mad at him for throwing rocks out his window and into the cars," Ebbert said.He was taken to a hospital and told the doctor that he did "something stupid."Palenzuela is charged with aggravated assault, two counts of propelling missiles into occupied vehicles, five counts of recklessly endangering another person and three counts of criminal mischief.