An alleged bank robber is recovering after police say he led them on a wild chase that ended with him crashing into a home.
It began around 2:30 p.m. Police say an officer was waved down by a concerned citizen who told him a man had just robbed the Newfield Bank at 552 E. Landis Avenue in Vineland. The citizen told the officer the man fled into the City of Vineland Free Parking lot on the Southeast corner of Sixth and Wood Streets.
Investigators say two other Vineland Police officers who happened to be in the area spotted and approached the suspect inside a vehicle in the Free Parking lot. When the officers tried to enter the vehicle, investigators say the suspect drove off.
A car chase quickly ensued and other units joined in the pursuit. Police say the suspect was pursued from the center city of Vineland to the Northeast section of Vineland into Buena Vista Township. The pursuit finally ended when the suspect crashed his vehicle into a home on the 1200 block of North Main Road in Franklinville, New Jersey, according to police.
The suspect then allegedly fled the crashed vehicle on foot and was apprehended in a wooded area away from the crash scene.
Police say they recovered a weapon and money from the bank. The suspect was transported to the South Jersey Regional Medical Center and treated for injuries suffered during the crash. He will be lodged in the Cumberland County Jail after he receives treatment, according to investigators. Police have not revealed his identity.
Vineland Police continue to investigate the incident and are asking anyone with information to come forward.
If you have any information on this incident, please call Crime Stoppers at 856-691-0345 or Detective R. Burke at 856-691-4111 Ext. 4181.
