NORTH CODORUS TOWNSHIP, Pa. — In just over two minutes, detectives searching for a stalking suspect in York County walked into a deadly ambush.
Hidden inside a residence, a gunman in camouflage opened fire the moment detectives stepped through the door. Three detectives were fatally shot, two officers were critically wounded and the suspect was killed in the exchange.
At a Sept. 18 press conference, District Attorney Tim Barker laid out an initial timeline of the shooting, describing it as a calculated ambush. Here’s how it unfolded.
Background
On Aug. 20, the ex-girlfriend of Matthew James Ruth, 24, reported that her pickup truck had been set on fire while parked in her driveway on Hair Road. She suspected Ruth but did not request the matter be investigated further at the time.
After the fire, the ex-girlfriend and her mother installed a trail camera on the property. Nearly a month later, the camera captured Ruth in camouflage, an AR-15-style rifle slung across his chest, aiming a scope toward the residence.
When police reviewed the image on Sept. 16, the woman identified the man as Ruth, her ex-boyfriend. She told officers they had dated only briefly, and that Ruth had never been invited to her home nor had any reason to be there.
Timeline of events
Barker said the initial timeline was based on his review of body camera and dash camera footage, ballistics and physical evidence at the scene, the trail camera image, and interviews with investigators.
According to Barker, the preliminary investigation shows the following sequence of events:
Sept. 16, 2025, 11:23 p.m.
Police received a call from the mother of a woman whose ex-boyfriend was spotted outside her home at 1879 Hair Road. The suspect, identified as 24-year-old Matthew James Ruth, was dressed in camouflage, armed with a scoped rifle and captured on a trail camera looking into the residence.
While responding, officers learned the suspect’s black 2000 Ford Ranger was parked along Emig Road, around the corner from the residence. The truck was unoccupied, and the suspect was not located. Deputies from the York County Sheriff’s Office deployed a drone to search the property and surrounding fields, but Ruth evaded capture.
Based on the incident, a warrant was issued for his arrest on charges of stalking and loitering/prowling at night.
Sept. 17, 2025, 12:11 p.m.
Detectives from the Northern York County Regional Police Department executed a search warrant at the suspect’s residence in Hanover, about 10 miles away. After interviewing family members and searching the property, they cleared the scene at 1:23 p.m.
2:02 p.m.
With the suspect still at large, five Northern York County Regional Police detectives and a York County sheriff’s deputy returned to Hair Road, the site of the stalking incident the night before to serve an arrest warrant.
A drone was again deployed to sweep outbuildings and neighboring fields while detectives moved toward the house.
2:08 p.m.
Detective Isaiah Emanheiser reached the front door of the residence, with Detective Mark Baker and Sgt. Cody Becker just behind him. The ex-girlfriend and her mother were not at the home at the time, having left out of concern for their safety. The door, previously secured, was found unlocked. As Emanheiser opened it, the suspect immediately unleashed gunfire with an AR-15-style rifle equipped with a suppressor.
Detectives Emanheiser, Baker and Becker were fatally struck in the initial barrage. A fourth Northern York County Regional Police Department detective in the doorway stack was also hit and critically wounded but survived.
A fifth Northern York County Regional detective had been positioned outside, along with a York County sheriff’s deputy. As Ruth continued firing, he struck the deputy near his vehicle, wounding him and damaging his patrol car.
The uninjured detective returned fire with his rifle, drawing the suspect’s attention and keeping pressure on him.
2:10 p.m.
The gun battle intensified near the roadway. The suspect advanced while firing on the wounded deputy. The detective outside continued to return fire, exchanging volleys with the suspect at close range.
The detective then fired the fatal shots that brought the suspect down.
2:10:16 p.m.
The gunfire stopped. The exchange — from the opening of the door to the suspect’s death — lasted just over two minutes.
Shortly after the gunfire stopped, the uninjured detective rushed to the fallen officers inside the house to check for signs of life and begin aid. He then moved to the deputy, who had been critically wounded outside, and provided lifesaving care while calling for reinforcements.
2:14 p.m.
Backup units began arriving to secure the scene and assist with medical response.
The fallen and the wounded
District Attorney Tim Barker confirmed that Sgt. Cody Becker, Detective Mark Baker, and Detective Isaiah Emanheiser were killed in the ambush.
“Detective Sergeant Cody Becker, Detective Mark Baker, and Detective Isaiah Emanheiser were all credits to law enforcement. I personally knew them very, very well. They were wonderful. They’re mission-driven, and that day, they continued their mission. Well, their mission is now complete. You kept the faith. You ran the race. You fought more than a good fight. You fought the critical fight for us. Job well done. Mission well served. And we will love you forever and all eternity,” Barker said.
All three detectives who were killed had dedicated decades to policing, bringing nearly 60 years of combined service to the Northern York County Regional Police Department.
Detective Baker, 53, spent 21 years with the department after beginning his career as a Philadelphia police officer. Sgt. Becker, 39, served 16 years, and Detective Emanheiser, 43, served 20 years.
A York County sheriff’s deputy and a Northern York County detective were hospitalized in critical condition but are expected to survive. Their identities have not been released.
Bravery under fire
Authorities said the Northern York County detective who fired the fatal shots showed extraordinary resolve in the aftermath of the ambush.
Barker called the detective’s response “unimaginable strength,” noting that despite the loss of his partners and the chaos of the ambush, he shifted without hesitation to lifesaving actions.
“I can’t imagine the strength and the fortitude that it takes to immediately after having seen and been engaged in that... to be immediately thinking of rendering critical aid and engaging in life-saving action. He saved many lives that day,” Barker said.
Motive and investigation
The Pennsylvania State Police are leading the investigation, supported by county detectives. Officials confirmed the suspect also killed a dog belonging to the ex-girlfriend’s family before the ambush.
According to Barker, although additional motives remain under investigation, the incident was clearly driven by domestic violence. He emphasized that if the ex-girlfriend and her mother had returned home rather than the officers, they “would have been killed immediately.”
Investigators also recovered extensive ballistics evidence from inside and outside the Hair Road residence. Barker said those findings will be cataloged in a future briefing after testing is complete, but what he observed on scene already corroborates the account provided by detectives.
Barker also stated from a legal standpoint, the officers’ actions were not only warranted but essential.
“All actions by law enforcement were justified,” he said. “They weren’t only justified, they were necessary, and we are so thankful and appreciative to them.”
Barker praised the law enforcement response in the aftermath of the attack, noting how officers from across the county rushed to help.
“Numerous law enforcement agencies came to help to secure the scene, help with any rescue efforts. And when I say numerous, I can’t tell you how proud I am of every single law enforcement officer in this whole county. They all came from everywhere to be there to help in any way they could,” he said.
Community response
As news spread, York County residents lined the streets in the rain during the procession for the fallen. Many waved American flags and held signs supporting law enforcement.
“…all you saw along those roadways were members of our community and they were standing there in the rain for hours to watch our law enforcement standing there, the old, the young, families, children waving American flags and holding signs saying back the blue, showing their love and appreciation for law enforcement. And all I could think is — there’s the light. There’s Christ’s light that drives out Satan’s darkness,” Barker said.
Barker also emphasized York County’s resilience, calling it “a safe, loving community” that will “demolish hate and darkness” by standing together.
