Stolen Vehicle Crashes In Saint Davids, 3 Arrests Made: Police

RADNOR TOWNSHIP, PA — Two teenagers and an adult were taken into custody after Radnor Police said a stolen vehicle fled officers, then crashed in the Saint Davids neighborhood Saturday.

According to police, officers were alerted to a reckless driver in a Toyota on Lancaster Avenue at about 4 p.m. Saturday.

Police used license plate tracking technology to learn the vehicle went through the Lancaster-North Wayne intersection shortly thereafter.

Radnor officers were nearby at West Lancaster and Conestoga avenues and saw the vehicle turn down Conestoga and speed off, police said.

Other officers saw the vehicle and tried to stop it, but the vehicle kept driving and eventually crashed into a tree on a residential property at Brookside Avenue and Orchard Way in Saint Davids.

Three people were in the vehicle, all of whom ran off, police said.

Two of the three, one teen and 18-year-old Carter Darden, were apprehended quickly, while the third eluded capture for about an hour, police said.

During the search for the third suspect, neighbors in the area were urged to remain indoors.

The third suspect was taken into custody without incident not far from the Radnor Township Building, according to authorities.

All three are from Norristown and were driving a vehicle stolen from Marple Township, Radnor Police said.

Darden was charged with motor vehicle theft, receiving stolen property, leaving the scene of an accident, possession of an instrument of crime, and endangering the welfare of children due to the two passengers being underage, according to police.

He is being held on $100,000 bail and is scheduled for a Feb. 6 preliminary hearing, according to court documents.

The two others are charged with conspiracy to commit vehicle theft, police said.

Authorities said the vehicle was stolen via a USB port that is part of a larger TikTok trend.

Radnor Police Sgt. Brady McHale told Patch the swift apprehension of the three suspects was due in part to observant and vigilant neighbors in the area.

"It was community collective vigilance, and it's appreciated on our part," he said. "It's good to have that support."

McHale said residents were sending police doorbell camera footage of the suspects running through neighborhoods, shouting to police where they saw suspects running, and providing footage of the vehicle speeding in the area.

While McHale said Radnor Police are thankful for residents' effort to help apprehend the suspects, he said the public should use caution when doing so in the event any suspects are potentially armed and dangerous.

Editor's note: A previous version of this story incorrectly listed the incident date. Patch regrets the error.