BETHLEHEM TWP., Pa. – A traffic stop ended in a deadly pursuit in Northampton County.<\/p>\n
A New Jersey man is dead after fleeing from police while driving the wrong way on Route 22.<\/p>\n
It started with a traffic stop in Hanover Township, just after 10 p.m. on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
The truck was driven by Newark, New Jersey resident Juan Diaz, 35, who also goes by Jose Diaz Sanchez.<\/p>\n
After they initially pulled over the truck, state police said Diaz drove away.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
A trooper conducted a Precision Immobilization Technique (PIT) maneuver to try to stop the truck, which then overturned into a grassy area.<\/p>\n
State police began giving Diaz medical assistance on the scene.<\/p>\n
He was taken to a hospital, where he later died.<\/p>\n
Residents are weighing in, saying they’re saddened but not surprised to hear of another crash on the busy highway.<\/p>\n
“Oh my God,” said Lemuel Amaro of Bethlehem Township. “It’s bad.”<\/p>\n
The death has also shaken up people who work in the area, especially those who commute along a heavily traveled Route 22.<\/p>\n
“That’s so horrible,” said April Flores. “Literally, there’s always an accident. You have semi-trucks, cars, a lot of traffic.”<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
“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.<\/p>\n
The Lehigh County coroner said an autopsy is set for Friday.<\/p>\n
The coroner is also trying to find and notify Diaz’s family, or next of kin; they’re asking for your help.<\/p>\n
Officials said he might also be known by the name Jose Diaz Sanchez, with a last known address in Newark, New Jersey.<\/p>\n