On Thursday, at approximately 2:00 a.m., a Newark Police Officer observed a gray Kia Forte fail to stop at a stop sign at the intersection of Hillside Road and Sypherd Drive. As the officer followed the vehicle, they confirmed that the Delaware registration displayed on the car was reported stolen out of Wilmington.
Lieutenant Gregory D’Elia said that after confirming the stolen status of the vehicle, the officer immediately relayed the information to the patrol shift, prompting additional units to respond. As officers attempted to stop the Kia Forte, the driver refused to comply, accelerating away and committing numerous traffic violations as they fled.
During the pursuit, an officer successfully deployed Stop Sticks, which deflated the vehicle’s tires and brought the pursuit to a controlled end. The vehicle was located abandoned in an apartment complex on Wyoming Road, where the occupants had fled on foot. A thorough search of the complex led officers to discover two suspects hiding in a bush, and they were taken into custody. The other two suspects surrendered to police without further incident.
D’Elia said that all four individuals arrested were juvenile males. The suspects were transported to Newark Police Headquarters, where they were processed and charged with multiple offenses, including receiving stolen property over $1,500, second-degree conspiracy, disregarding a police officer’s signal, driving without a valid license, aggressive driving, unreasonable speed, failure to stop at a red light, and multiple counts of failure to stop at stop signs.
Following arraignment at JP Court #11, the defendants received the following bail conditions:
- Defendant 1 (15-year-old male of Wilmington): $3,100 Unsecured Bail, No Contact Order with co-defendants. Released to parents.
- Defendant 2 (14-year-old male of Wilmington): $3,100 Unsecured Bail, No Contact Order with co-defendants. Released to parents.
- Defendant 3 (14-year-old male of Wilmington): $3,100 Unsecured Bail, No Contact Order with co-defendants. Released to parents.
- Defendant 4 (16-year-old male of Wilmington): $3,100 Secured Bail, No Contact Order with co-defendants. Transported to New Castle County Detention Center.
Following their arraignment at JP Court #11, three of the juveniles, including a 15-year-old and two 14-year-olds from Wilmington, were released to their parents under $3,100 unsecured bail with No Contact Orders restricting interaction with co-defendants. The fourth juvenile, a 16-year-old male, received $3,100 secured bail and was transported to the New Castle County Detention Center.