A brother and sister are in Berks County Jail facing reckless endangerment charges after Reading police said they fired 3D‑printed pistols into the air on Neversink Mountain over the weekend, then led officers on a wild midnight chase through east Reading and Mount Penn.
Jose Sanchez‑Gutierrez, identified as the driver, and his sister, Maria Sanchez‑Gutierrez, were arrested after the pursuit ended near their residence in the 1300 block of Kenney Street. In addition to reckless endangerment, both were charged with illegally discharging firearms.
Jose Sanchez‑Gutierrez also faces counts of fleeing or attempting to elude police, carrying firearms without a license and possessing a small amount of marijuana.
The siblings were jailed in lieu of $50,000 bail and $5,000 bail, respectively, following arraignment Saturday before District Judge Kyley L. Scott in Reading Central Court.
According to court records:
Just after midnight Saturday, police were dispatched to South 10th and South streets for a report of gunfire. A 911 caller reported hearing four or five shots in the wooded area near the 10th and South Playground.
A resident told officers that a red car had driven into the playground and that two occupants walked up the trail behind a gate leading toward the mountain before firing the shots. Officers walked the trail but found no one.
As they returned, the complainant approached them again and said the same red car was heading west in the 900 block of South Street, which runs parallel to the base of Neversink Mountain.
Police relayed the information, and shortly afterward an officer located the red Chevrolet Cruze at South 13th and Cotton streets. The driver fled an attempted traffic stop by two sergeants.
The Cruze continued south on South 13th Street, then turned east onto Fairview Street, disregarding stop signs and other traffic controls as it entered Mount Penn. The chase continued north on 23rd Street, then west — the wrong way — on the one‑way section of Perkiomen Avenue.
The car continued west on Perkiomen, again ignoring traffic controls, then drove onto the north sidewalk, striking several porch railings. Its tires began to deflate from the rough ride as it reentered the street and continued south on South 14th Street. Police stopped the vehicle as it attempted to turn onto Kenney Street.
Officers took Jose Sanchez‑Gutierrez and Maria Sanchez‑Gutierrez into custody.
A firearm magazine was in plain view in the center console. Officers found one gun under the front passenger seat and another protruding from beneath it. The pistols had Glock‑style frames with no serial numbers — untraceable “ghost guns” — and appeared to be 3D‑printed.
3D‑printed firearms typically use a plastic frame or lower receiver combined with commercially manufactured metal components capable of withstanding high pressure.