District Attorney Gavin P. Holihan announced Wednesday that an arrest warrant has been filed in connection with a shooting that occurred in 2022 at Musikfest in Bethlehem, Lehigh County.

Joshua Nathaniel Colon, 22, of Bethlehem is charged with aggravated assault, a felony of the first degree; receiving stolen property, a felony of the second degree; firearms not to be carried without a license, a felony of the third degree; person not to possess, use, manufacture, control, sell or transfer firearms, a misdemeanor of the first degree and recklessly endangering another person, a misdemeanor of the second degree.

Colon was arraigned Wednesday on the charges and bail was set at $20,000 (10 %). He is currently in state prison on unrelated charges.

On Aug. 13, 2022, at 10:38 p.m., Bethlehem Police responded to a gunshot fired in the Plaza Tropical section of Musikfest located at the intersection of Main and West Lehigh streets. The victim, Jathaniel Lopez, was shot once in the stomach.

An investigation determined the shooting occurred during a dispute between two groups and was therefore not a random act.

Police immediately responded and rendered aid to Lopez. There is always a large police presence at Musikfest throughout multiple venues located in both Lehigh and Northampton counties. Despite the size of the crowd, there were no other injuries reported to police after this shooting occurred.

Musikfest’s 10-day festival is often attended by more than one million people each year. Police, other first responders and festival organizers work diligently to make safety a priority.

In 2022, the year this shooting occurred, there were a total of 21 arrests and none were for felony offenses. Most of the arrests that occur in Bethlehem during Musikfest are alcohol related, including public drunkenness and disorderly conduct.

This case was investigated by Lehigh County’s 12th Investigating Grand Jury and Bethlehem Police Detective John Limpar. The Grand Jury heard testimony presented by Chief Deputy District Attorney Bethany S. Zampogna and Deputy District Attorney Nicolo S. Baratta.