Police: Stolen U-Haul driver leads officers on multiple chases before arrest in Bucks County

BRISTOL TWP., Pa. (WPVI) — A 38-year-old man is in custody after police say he led officers on a series of high-speed chases in Bucks County Tuesday, hitting several occupied vehicles before being arrested.

Bristol Township Police identified the man as Ryan Laskowski of Bristol Township.

Lt. Mark Titus said officers first encountered Laskowski around 7:45 a.m., when they conducted a welfare check on him as he sat in a rented U-Haul van near Bath Road and Veterans Highway.

“When they attempted to conduct a traffic stop, he immediately fled,” Titus said. “At one point he hit another motorist.”

Titus said officers ended the initial pursuit.

U-Haul later reported the van stolen and police obtained an arrest warrant.

Around 3 p.m., officers found Laskowski in a McDonald’s parking lot on New Falls Road, but the driver immediately fled around a marked patrol unit despite the lights being activated, Titus said.

A passerby recorded part of the chase as police followed Laskowski on Veterans Highway.

“You don’t see things like this every day,” said witness Joseph Lepley.

The chase continued down I-95 and into Bensalem, where police say Laskowski crashed into a vehicle driven by Rachel Kessler on Bensalem Boulevard.

“We’re sitting at a red light and bam. Smash,” Kessler said. She noted that the situation was ironic because she works as a clerk at Bristol Police Records.

“We’re getting ready to file charges against a guy who hits me later today, and now I’m the victim of his as well,” she said.

Bensalem Public Safety Director William McVey said Laskowski also struck patrol vehicles owned by a local officer and a state trooper.

“This individual posed a threat to everyone on the road today. He needed to be stopped. We are grateful that he did not kill anyone through his actions, which were egregious,” McVey said.

The chase ended around 3:30 p.m. at Bristol Road and Grandview Avenue, where Laskowski crashed into a car carrying three people.

“I am proud of the work done by all the officers, who risked their lives, to ensure that we were able to remove this hazard from the road today,” McVey said.

Titus said: “We are really lucky that there were no serious injuries. »

Police said Laskowski faces a long list of criminal charges from Bristol Township, Bensalem and the Pennsylvania State Police.

Detectives believe there may be additional hit-and-run victims and are asking anyone with damage or information to contact authorities.