U. SAUCON TWP., Pa. – Neighbors living on Pike Avenue in Upper Saucon Township say they’re used to seeing police out on the road for car crashes.
“I really didn’t think it was anything, you know, drastic, until I came downstairs and looked outside,” Dan Cummings, who lives on that road, said. “I saw when the police were walking away from my house, they had their guns out, and I said, ‘oh my gosh.'”
As officials walked with guns drawn and binoculars out, many watching from their homes quickly realized it was a search.
“I kind of just shouted to them, you know, ‘do I need to stay inside to lock my doors?’ Cummings said. “He just said, ‘yeah,’ and kind of gave me a thumbs up. So I said, ‘okay, let me stay here.'”
State and local police on Thursday were establishing perimeters in areas including Cummings’ street, following a chase that started on Interstate-78 in Bethlehem just before noon.
“The first reaction was, ‘Oh, my God, what’s going on now?'” Maggie Fried, another neighbor on the same street, said. “It was a little scary at first.”
Police are accusing 22-year-old Kyree Perkins Prince from Allentown of stealing a car, crashing that car while fleeing from police and hiding in a cornfield, before finally being taken into custody hours later.
Court papers say it all started just before noon Thursday, when a beige Hyundai Elantra passed state police on I-78 in the Bethlehem area. Police were alerted that the car passing by was stolen.
But when the trooper sounded the siren and flashed emergency lights to pull the vehicle over, police say the driver kept moving: going 90 in a 55 mile-per-hour zone, swerving over lines and nearly crashing into other cars.
Police lost the vehicle at exit 60A in Upper Saucon Township, but minutes later were alerted to a crash at that exact location. One witness also observed a man running from the area.
Police found the car’s ignition was punched out and the seatbelt was tightened down.
A large police presence could be seen Thursday afternoon searching for the man on Route 145 and Vera Cruz Road.
Allentown police’s K-9 Unit was also set up at the nearby animal hospital, which closed early for the day.
Police used thermal imaging and finally found Perkins Prince hours later, hiding in a cornfield around West Saucon Valley and Lanark roads.
“I was glad they caught him,” Fried said, “but it kind of made me feel a little bit nervous that it was on Lanark Road. Because Lanark Road’s not far from here.”
The suspect is facing 16 charges, including DUI: Controlled Substance – Impaired Ability – 1st Offense, Receiving Stolen Property, and Evading Arrest or Detention on Foot.
Perkins Prince is due in court next Friday.
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