BETHLEHEM TWP., Pa. – A traffic stop ended in a deadly pursuit in Northampton County.
A New Jersey man is dead after fleeing from police while driving the wrong way on Route 22.
It started with a traffic stop in Hanover Township, just after 10 p.m. on Wednesday.
The truck was driven by Newark, New Jersey resident Juan Diaz, 35, who also goes by Jose Diaz Sanchez.
After they initially pulled over the truck, state police said Diaz drove away.
Troopers began to chase down Diaz’s truck, which was driving the wrong way on the highway, traveling eastbound in the road’s westbound lanes.
A trooper conducted a Precision Immobilization Technique (PIT) maneuver to try to stop the truck, which then overturned into a grassy area.
State police began giving Diaz medical assistance on the scene.
He was taken to a hospital, where he later died.
Residents are weighing in, saying they’re saddened but not surprised to hear of another crash on the busy highway.
“Oh my God,” said Lemuel Amaro of Bethlehem Township. “It’s bad.”
The death has also shaken up people who work in the area, especially those who commute along a heavily traveled Route 22.
“That’s so horrible,” said April Flores. “Literally, there’s always an accident. You have semi-trucks, cars, a lot of traffic.”
Flores did not want to appear on camera, but told 69 News that she works off of Nazareth Pike and drives on the highway every day.
“It’s a very tight junction, very congested. It gets congested a lot, and due to this, I feel so bad and horrible whenever I hear accidents, you know, happen. People die. That’s the last thing I want to hear,” Flores said.
The Lehigh County coroner said an autopsy is set for Friday.
The coroner is also trying to find and notify Diaz’s family, or next of kin; they’re asking for your help.
Officials said he might also be known by the name Jose Diaz Sanchez, with a last known address in Newark, New Jersey.
Anyone who may have information is asked to contact the Lehigh County Coroner’s Office at 610-782-3426 or by email at danielbuglio@lehighcounty.org.
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