Police Officer Injured In Stolen U-Haul Pursuit In Philadelphia: Police

PHILADELPHIA, PA — A stolen U-Haul pursuit ended in arrest after a pursuit in northeast Philadelphia on Friday left an officer injured, officials said.

According to the Philadelphia Police Department, at about 5:40 p.m., officers observed a white U-Haul box truck driving recklessly in the area of Penn Street and Oxford Avenue. When officers attempted to conduct a traffic stop using lights and sirens, the vehicle failed to stop and the driver fled southbound on Oxford Avenue, police said.

It was later confirmed that the U-Haul, a white Ford E450 box truck, had been reported stolen the previous day, police said. Officers followed the vehicle at a safe distance while additional units responded to assist, police said.

The U-Haul traveled onto Roosevelt Boulevard, turning over the median before heading eastbound on Harbison Avenue, police said. Once in the area of Harbison Avenue and Roosevelt Boulevard, officers in an unmarked police vehicle located the stolen truck, police said.

The U-Haul then drove into the center median, rear-ended a white van, and struck the police vehicle on the passenger side, disabling it, officials said.

The truck continued eastbound, striking another vehicle before fleeing onto Hellerman Street, police said.

Responding officers observed that the driver was a man wearing a black hoodie, police said. They also noted a mountain bike visible in the rear of the box truck due to an unsecured latch causing the rear door to bounce open, officials added.

The information was relayed to officers in the area as the pursuit continued; shortly afterward, officers located the U-Haul abandoned at Enfield and Ditman Streets, police said.

The mountain bike was no longer inside the vehicle, police said.

While searching the area, an officer observed a male matching the driver’s description riding a gray mountain bike northbound on Torresdale Avenue, police said. The individual was stopped and taken into custody; he was later positively identified as the driver of the stolen U-Haul, police said.

One officer involved in the collision was treated at a local hospital for a leg injury sustained when the police vehicle was struck, police said.

The investigation remains ongoing with Northeast detectives, police said.

Offender information will be released upon completion of charges, police said.