Chaotic chain reaction car crash involving stolen vehicle injures Philly officer, civilian
HUNTING PARK - A search for a suspect is on as a scene of chaos played out Friday night, in which a civilian and a Philly officer were both injured in a car crash, instigated by a driver in a stolen vehicle.
A little before 11 p.m., Friday night, officials say police were breaking up a large car meetup on the 8600 block of Bustleton Avenue. They watched as someone was driving a gray 2020 Nissan Altima, a sedan reported stolen from Lower Moreland Township.
Officers tried to stop the car, but the driver took off, driving over a median on Roosevelt Boulevard.
That began a chain reaction, authorities said, that injured a civilian and an officer.
The driver of the Nissan hopped the median, only to hit a Chevy Malibu and a police car at C Street and the boulevard. No injuries were reported in that crash.
Police followed the Nissan to 9th Street and West Erie Avenue where a Chevy Equinox hit an unmarked police car. That unmarked vehicle then hit a light pole and caught fire.
The officers inside that unmarked vehicle jumped out before the fire, though one of those officers suffered facial fractures and lacerations. That officer was taken to Temple University Hospital for treatment and has been released.
The driver of the Equinox was also treated for injuries at Temple and is in stable condition.
The driver of the Nissan got away and police are searching for that driver. Anyone with information is urged to contact the Philadelphia Police Department's tipline at 215-686-TIPS (8477).