A Mahanoy City teen stands accused of trying to kill his mother.

Joseph Grutza, 15, allegedly beat and strangled his mother, Kymberly Grutza, after she tried to take away his iPhone.Mahanoy Township Police were dispatched to the Grutza home Monday night for a domestic assault in progress. At the home, they were met by the teen's father, who said the son was inside, beating up his mother. Police entered the home and found the teen beating his own head against a wall. The mother was on the floor, struggling to breathe. Officers placed the son in handcuffs and called for an ambulance.The interior of the house was in disarray, with furniture and other items tossed around.As they awaited ambulance personnel, Kymberly Grutza was able to calm down and begin breathing more normally. She was able to give officers a statement, explaining she was speaking to her son about his cellphone use, telling him she was going to take possession of it. That started an argument, which became physically violent.According to her statement, the son began screaming at her, then grabbed her, bit her on the neck and struck her with his hands. He then pulled a ropelike sash from her bathrobe and used it to choke her. When she was able to loosen the rope, he began strangling her with his hands, continually threatening to kill her.She began to lose consciousness and fell to the floor. The son then stomped on her chest, again threatening to kill her. She was able to roll on to her back, prompting another stomping. At this point, her husband was able to shove their son away from her.Kymberly Grutza, who had multiple visible injuries, was transported to Schuylkill Medical Center-South in Pottsville.The teen was arraigned before on-call District Judge Anthony Kilker, charged as an adult, with felony counts of criminal attempt to commit criminal homicide and aggravated assault, as well as misdemeanor counts of simple assault and terroristic threats.Bail was set at $150,000 straight cash. Grutza was placed in the Schuylkill County Prison in Pottsville.