An auto burglary suspect is behind bars after he got a flat tire while fleeing from police.
According to authorities, on Apr. 12th at approximately 7:31 a.m., Gloucester Township officers were dispatched to the area of Starbucks, located on Blackwood Clementon Road, for the theft of a vehicle that was left running with the doors unlocked.
Officers began to converge the area, when an alert citizen who witnessed the theft, contacted police dispatch after he followed the vehicle into a nearby neighborhood. The witness continued to provide updated locations and the suspect description to police.
As multiple officers responded to the scene, they spotted the vehicle traveling north on Route 42 in the area of Blackwood Clementon Road. Officers followed the vehicle to a safe location was determined to initiate a traffic stop. When officers activated their emergency lights and sirens, the suspect refused to pull over and continued traveling on Route 42 at excessive speeds. Police said that due to the potential risk to the public, the decision was made to terminate the pursuit. The suspect was last observed exiting onto Route 130 north towards route 168.
The location information was immediately transmitted to neighboring Camden County Police agencies, who began to circulate the area. Another alert citizen stopped a Collingswood Police Officer and advised they had just witnessed a vehicle involved in a police pursuit turn off route 130 due to having a flat tire.
Upon arrival, a Collingswood officer spotted the suspect - later identified as Kasien Wolf - walking from the vehicle and took him into custody without any further incident.
The vehicle was recovered and returned to the victim with minimal damage.
According to authorities, Wolf was transported to Collingswood Police Department where he was charged with receiving stolen property. Police transported Wolf to Gloucester Township Police Department where he was charged with eluding, theft of motor vehicle and criminal mischief.
According to authorities, Wolfe was remanded to the Camden County Correctional Facility in accordance with bail reform procedures.
“The quick arrest was the result of the witnesses seeing a crime in progress and doing the right thing calling 911. This enabled officers to coordinate quickly with our neighboring jurisdictions and locate the vehicle even after the pursuit had been terminated for safety reasons. We would also like to remind the public that you should never leave your car running even if you think it will only be for a few seconds.”