State police acknowledged a pursuit on Wednesday night that led to a deadly crash in Upper Chichester Township and resulted in the deaths of the occupants of the suspect vehicle.
The crash happened shortly after 1:30 p.m. as troopers were chasing a car whose driver fled during a traffic stop. In a press release, troopers described the vehicle as suspicious and mentioned that there were seven people inside.
Troopers explained that the driver of the vehicle did not stop for the emergency lights and siren of the trooper, leading to a vehicle chase. The pursuit ended on Conchester Highway at the Chichester Avenue overpass when the vehicle crashed, resulting in the deaths of multiple occupants.
The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to contact Trooper Eugene Tray at the Philadelphia station at 215-452-5216.
The police radio traffic on the Southwestern sector of Delaware County communications provided this account:
At around 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, officers were informed that troopers were pursuing shoplifting suspects in a red Taurus with dark tinted windows on Route 322 at speeds of 100 mph.
The occupants of the vehicle were reported to have been involved in a retail theft at Lululemon in Concord Township. The municipal officers did not provide much information after being informed about the pursuit.
Shortly after, the crash was reported at Conchester and Chichester.
First responders at the scene reported a fire in the engine compartment of a vehicle with five people trapped, and individuals down on the highway.
There was a request to call Crozer and determine how many critically injured individuals they could accommodate, amidst heavy fire and EMS radio communication. Additionally, it was mentioned that there were five ALS trucks en route.
Further information revealed that four people were heavily trapped, with one person down on the roadway. Two medical helicopters were requested to fly, followed by a third.
One person was reported as deceased at 1:50 p.m., followed by another at 1:57 p.m.
At 2 p.m., only the driver remained trapped in the car, and then the third fatality was reported at 2:05 p.m.
It is not clear how many of the other occupants survived. The radio communications indicated that the trauma centers in the area were all placed on alert and it is probable that the injured were taken to different hospitals.
Township police advised that "Route 322 from Chelsea Parkway to Creek will be closed due to a fatal accident. Please try to avoid the area." As of 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, this notice had not been updated.
George Johnson was working outside his house near the highway and heard the crash.
"We were right here working in the back working on a boat. We heard the cop cars coming down 322. They were coming pretty fast. Then we heard the bang," said Johnson.
The crash took place on the bridge over Chichester Avenue. It is uncertain whether the Ford lost control and hit the bridge abutment or if something else caused the crash.
The vehicle ended up in the westbound lane of the highway.
