The mayor of Perryopolis is accused of crashing into another car and driving away while under the influence. 

State police say Perryopolis Mayor Charles Petrosky slammed into a mother and her two children in their car at the intersection of Route 51 and Barneys Road at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. The woman behind the wheel told investigators she feared for her children's safety. 

"Everyone makes mistakes for sure, but when you take on that position, you should be held to a higher standard. I think that's in every sphere of life. It's important and you should be held accountable," said Jeremy Glover of Perryopolis. 

According to the criminal complaint, instead of exchanging insurance information, police say Petrosky got back in his car and left the scene. The victim managed to snap pictures of his car and license plate, which led police straight to his front door. 

"You should lead instead of doing something stupid like this, cause it's showing a bad example for everybody in the community," said Perryopolis resident Mark Cramer. 

When officers arrived at his house minutes later, they saw his car inside the garage with damage to the front end. Petrosky appeared dazed and confused, and he claimed he didn't even know a crash had happened.

When it was learned that Petrosky was the same man responsible for overseeing the local police department, state police took over the investigation to avoid any conflict of interest. Petrosky was arrested and charged with DUI and hit-and-run.

"It doesn't set a good example if people are above the law, right? So he should be punished just as any other normal citizen would, I would say," said Glover. 

Petrosky is free while awaiting a court date, but Perryopolis residents say his credibility is gone. They're calling on borough council to decide whether he should remain in office at all.

"I think there definitely should be a meeting where the powers that be should probably discuss that for sure," said Glover.

KDKA-TV reached out to Petrosky's attorney for comment. His preliminary hearing will be later this month.