Pregnant teen among 4 killed in Route 322 crash in Delaware County, Pennsylvania after police chase
BOOTHWYN, Pa. (CBS) -- Four people, including a pregnant teen, were killed on U.S. Route 322 Conchester Highway in Boothwyn, Delaware County, during a police pursuit Wednesday, Pennsylvania State Police said.
The fatal crash in the area of Chichester Avenue shut down Route 322 from Chelsea Parkway to Creek Parkway for several hours Wednesday afternoon.
A total of seven people were in a red Ford Taurus and no other cars were involved in the crash, according to state police.
The driver 20-year-old Isaiah Miller and passengers 20-year-old Ikeam Rogers, 21-year-old Kalyn Billups, and 17-year-old Tyjana Motley all died. Police said Motley was pregnant and taken to Crozer-Chester Medical Center where she had an emergency C-Section but the unborn child was also pronounced dead. It's unknown how far along the teen was in her pregnancy.
Police said three other passengers were in the car: 18-year-old Kemore Williams, 20-year-old Bishop Young and a 16-year-old girl. All three suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
Troopers were on patrol at the Brinton Lake Shopping Center in Concord Township because of an alleged string of retail thefts when they saw the red Ford Taurus at a stop sign. The car then parked away from the shopping center.
According to state police, three or four people inside the Ford Taurus exited the car and approached the stores. State police said one of the people was believed to be involved in a previous retail theft at the shopping center.
As a trooper approached the Ford Taurus in an unmarked patrol car, the people returned to their car and drove away on Brinton Lake Road.
State police said a traffic stop was conducted at Brinton Lake and Mill roads in Thornbury Township, shortly after 1:30 p.m. State police said the driver stopped but then drove away, leading police on a pursuit.
The pursuit ended once the Ford crashed, killing multiple people inside the car, state police said.
Michelle Rollman, who lives in West Chester, Pennsylvania, was stuck on the highway for hours before it reopened.
"I couldn't even get off in time and then I saw the fire and a lot of police activity," Rollman said. "I knew something was really bad."
Hayley Speed, an employee at a nearby dog daycare on Conchester Avenue, said the business's camera captured a portion of the high-speed chase just before 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
In the surveillance video, a red car zooms down the road followed by a possible police vehicle with flashing lights.
Parinda Patel owns a nearby Dunkin' and said they didn't hear anything, but her surveillance cameras captured smoke following the crash.
One witness who was driving in the area of Route 322 said they saw a "ball of fire" when the crash happened.
Peter Peno, the president of The Hitch Man, a nearby business that sells trailers and installs truck accessories, said he was at work when he heard a lot of trucks flying by and knew something wasn't right.
"We heard helicopters also and everything else and then one of my mechanics is also an EMS," Peno said, "so he had a radio and got the intel of what was going on."