A police chase ended in a deadly crash in Delaware County on Thursday. NBC10 investigative reporter Claudia Vargas looked into Eddystone Borough’s decision to go after the car involved.
A police chase led to a deadly multi-car crash in Delaware County on Thursday evening, according to police.
The police chief with Eddystone Borough Police Department confirmed that officers chased a reportedly stolen car in their jurisdiction on Thursday, Oct. 10 around 5 p.m.
The person who was driving the stolen car ultimately crashed into another car in the area of the intersection of Industrial Highway and Wanamaker Avenue in Tinicum Township, officials said.
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"It’s just tragic. You hear about it on the news but to witness this in person it hits home," Tinicum Township resident George Keighton said. "I was just about to leave work around 5pm, getting ready to pull out and heard this sound screeching and the loud crash. Probably five or six cop cars came wizzing by."
The driver of the stolen car was killed in the crash and the other driver was taken to the hospital, police said. The other person's condition is unknown.
The eastbound side of the highway was closed to traffic for hours following the crash.
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SkyForce10 was over the scene around 6 p.m. Thursday where a lot of debris could be seen in the road at the intersection.
One vehicle was visible on its side and against a pole while a second vehicle was on a side road just off of Industrial Highway.
Fire trucks, an ambulance and police cars were seen nearby with yellow tape blocking off the area.
"I am a little shaken up for sure because this happened feet away from where I was working. You see crazy stuff happen but you never expect it to happen to you," Keighton said.
NBC10 went to the Eddystone Borough Police Department Friday to seek more information regarding this incident and learn more about the department's pursuit policy.
The police chief was not available for comment. The secretary nor the patrol officer had a copy of the department's pursuit policy.
Some police departments, such as Philadelphia, specify that a pursuit is only justified when the officer has probable cause that the person being pursued has committed or attempted a forcible felony; those include murder, rape, and armed robbery.
Pennsylvania police collect pursuit data from every police department in the state. According to the database, Eddystone police had ten police pursuits before Thursday. Of those, only one was listed as a felony crime for the reason the pursuit was initiated.
An investigation into this incident is ongoing.
This is a developing story. Check back here for updates.
