A 27-year-old Allentown man died after a police pursuit ended with the man crashing his pickup truck into a building early Sunday, according to authorities.
State troopers from the Fogelsville barracks attempted a traffic stop of the vehicle at 12:13 a.m., and the driver failed to stop, according to a state police news release. Troopers pursued the vehicle until it stopped near the intersection of Lehigh and 28th streets in Allentown.
When police exited their vehicle to attempt an arrest, the pickup truck driver hit troopers with his vehicle. After the troopers were hit, they re-entered their vehicle and pursued the fleeing pickup truck, the news release states.
State police said the driver lost control in the area of 12th and Vultee streets, where the vehicle crashed into a fire hydrant, utility pole and the Lehigh Valley Logistics building at 1801 South 12th St. The driver was thrown from the vehicle and was later pronounced dead at the hospital.
The driver has been identified, and his family has been notified, but due to the ongoing investigation, his name will not be released until an autopsy is completed Monday, the Lehigh County Coroner’s Office said in a news release.
The officers who were hit by the pickup truck were later treated at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest and released.
The state police Troop M Major Case Team is investigating the incident.