A 19-year-old man from Elgin, Illinois, is in custody after leading Pennsylvania State Police on a dangerous high-speed pursuit that ended in a multi-vehicle wreck Thursday morning. The incident began near mile marker 255 on Interstate 80 in Luzerne County when troopers spotted a Honda Accord that had been reported stolen out of Illinois.
When troopers attempted to initiate a traffic stop, the driver accelerated and fled eastbound. In a desperate attempt to lose authorities, the driver performed a U-turn using an emergency crossover and began traveling westbound at high speeds. The chase came to a violent conclusion at mile marker 250.9 in Black Creek Township when the stolen car entered a construction zone and slammed into four other vehicles.
The driver, whose identity has not yet been released, was arrested at the scene and transported to a local hospital for treatment of a neck injury sustained during the crash. Fortunately, no other injuries were reported among the occupants of the four vehicles struck in the work zone. The 19-year-old now faces multiple charges, including receiving stolen property and fleeing or attempting to elude an officer.
