Four people, including a pregnant teenager, died in a fiery crash this week as state police in southeastern Pennsylvania pursued their car in connection with recent thefts at retail stores in the area, officials said. authorities said.
The chase, which lasted about five minutes for seven miles on Highway 322, took place Wednesday afternoon after the car, a red Ford Taurus carrying seven people, fled after being stopped by police , Pennsylvania State Police said in a statement Thursday.
The driver, weaving in and out of traffic, lost control and crossed the roadway before hitting a concrete bridge embankment and bursting into flames, state police said. State troopers attempted to get the people out of the car while dousing the flames, authorities said.
Isaiah Miller, 20, who was driving; Ikeam Rogers, 20; and Kalyn Billups, 21, were pronounced dead at the scene of the crash, state police said. Tyjana Motley, 17, who was pregnant, died a short time later in hospital.
An emergency C-section was performed to try to save Ms. Motley’s child, state police said, but the efforts failed. The other three people in the car were transported to area hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries.
The car was initially noticed by police officers patrolling stores in Brinton Lake, a shopping center in Concord Township, Delaware County, due to a recent spate of retail thefts, the police said. state police. A person aboard the Taurus “is believed to have been involved in a previous retail theft at the mall,” the agency said, without identifying the person.
When a state trooper approached the car, three or four people who had previously gotten out of the Ford Taurus got back in and the car drove away, state police said. Police then stopped the car after noticing it had a tinted windshield, expired inspection stickers and a temporary Delaware paper registration obscured by a tinted license plate cover. But then the driver of the Taurus fled the scene, police said.
The crash remains under investigation and state police said Thursday they were unable to provide additional information.
The Pennsylvania State Police produces an annual report on police pursuits using data from all state agencies. In 2022, the year of the most recent report available, Pennsylvania police officers reported a total of 2,718 pursuits. Nine people were killed in “pursuit-related accidents,” according to the report.
News Source : www.nytimes.com
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