3 dead in Chester County crash after Pennsylvania State Police pursuit
Three people are dead after a crash following a Pennsylvania State Police pursuit in Avondale, Chester County, on Nov. 21, PSP said in a news release.
The crash closed down part of Gap Newport Pike in Avondale, Pennsylvania, for about eight hours.
State police said the incident began around 1:20 a.m. when a trooper tried to make a traffic stop on a vehicle after allegedly spotting multiple traffic violations. The vehicle was near 3rd Street and Garner Drive in New Garden Township, Chester County.
"The vehicle failed to stop and a pursuit ensued. Soon after the pursuit ensued the fleeing vehicle crashed, and the three occupants of the fleeing vehicle are deceased. No Troopers were injured," PSP said in a news release.
Devon Hargraves, 35; Gershad Andre, 33; and Larry Wilmer, 36, died in the crash, according to police. They are all from Wilmington, Delaware.
"It was like you were in a movie," Carl Coleman, who witnessed the pursuit, said. "It was so loud, sirens, screeching tires, it was crazy. Just a car flying around the bend around my house right here and cops behind him flying."
"It was going pretty fast, it ran the stop sign," Coleman added. "It bottomed out. You could hear the bottoming out of the car, you can hear all that and screeching noise, and it came around this bend right here, lost control, and it came back around."
The damaged remnants of the vehicle were seen on the 9100 block of Gap Newport Pike near Sheehan Road, about 4 miles from where PSP said the attempted traffic stop occurred. Chester County dispatchers said crews responded to the crash scene sometime after 2 a.m. Friday.
A video from a local resident showed a police cruiser with lights and sirens on pursuing a sedan.
One woman in the area said her husband woke up in the middle of the night and saw police lights near their home.
"It's horrible. All for a traffic stop," Annie Taylor said. "It's scary. My children live and play out here. It happened at 1 in the morning, but it's just horrible."
State police said the pursuit and crash remain under investigation.
