What to Know
- Authorities say a police pursuit in New Jersey ended in a crash in Philadelphia.
- Pennsauken, New Jersey, police early Friday tried to stop the car, which sped across the Ben Franklin Bridge and hit another vehicle in Philadelphia. Three people were hurt.
- While officers were dealing with the crash, they tried to stop a minivan from driving through the area. An officer grabbed the driver’s side door, but the motorist drove off down Broad Street.
A police pursuit from New Jersey into Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, ended with a violent crash in Center City overnight.
The chase began just before midnight when police in Pennsauken, New Jersey, saw a person driving erratically, Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small said early Friday.
Pennsauken police then alerted Philadelphia police that they had chased the car into Camden, over the Ben Franklin Bridge and into Philadelphia, Small said.
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At Broad and Vine streets in Center City, the driver “T-boned” a minivan, bringing the chase to an end, Small said.
Pennsauken police apprehended the 22-year-old driver of the chased car, he complained of pain and was in custody at the hospital. His 21-year-old passenger was trapped in the car and firefighters had to cut her out of the car. She was also taken to the hospital for treatment.
The driver of the van was treated for some bumps and bruises at the hospital.
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Everyone involved is expected to survive.
“They are all conscious, walking and talking,” Small said.
No Philadelphia police officers were ever involved in the chase, Small said.
The driver is expected to face multiple traffic violations and eluding police in New Jersey.
Police will do an investigation as they try to figure out what caused the driver to flee in the first place.
"They are going to do an investigation into that vehicle to see if there’s anything in that vehicle that may have been the reason the driver refused to stop when being attempted to be pulled over by the Pennsauken police,” Small said.
Pennsauken police have yet to respond to NBC10's request for comment.
While investigating the crash, a driver drove through the crime scene, Philadelphia police said.
An officer told the driver to get out after a brief pursuit, police said. But, the driver ignored the order and drove off, causing cuts to the officer's hands, which were on the car window, which shattered.
Other officers had to jump out of the way of the fleeing driver, Small said.
"We'll get him," Small said, while noting police know where the driver lives.
