Bucks Co. Man Threatened To Kill Gov. Wolf, Family: Police

FEASTERVILLE-TREVOSE, PA — A man from Lower Southampton is under arrest after state police say he threatened to kill Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf and members of his family.

Brian Rafferty, 61, of Feasterville-Trevose, is charged with terroristic threats and harassment by communications, Pennsylvania State Police announced Tuesday.

According to a police affidavit, Rafferty called the governor's office at 11:40 a.m. on Monday. During the call, he said he was angry that he was out of work and had not received unemployment benefits.

According to the staffer who took the call, Rafferty said, "I live right down the street from the governor's daughter and his granddaughter and they're dead, you hear me? They're dead."

According to the affidavit, Rafferty also admitted to investigators that he'd said during the call that Gov. Wolf and his family should die.

Rafferty was taken to Bucks County Jail, where he was being held on 10 percent of $200,000 bail.

Wolf, a Democrat, has led Pennsylvania's effort to fight the spread of the new coronavirus, issuing business shutdown and stay-at-home orders that have been unpopular with some Pennsylvanians.

According to an April 1 poll of 970 Pennsylvania voters, 62 percent approved of the job Wolf has done handling the coronavirus, while 20 percent disapproved.