14-Year-Old Biker Charged After Police Chase Through Whitehall

A Whitehall Borough police officer pulled back from a vehicle chase of a male on a dirtbike this past week when the chase became too dangerous, Whitehall police Chief Donald R. Dolfi said.

The incident started on Friday at around 1:48 p.m. when, as part of a Pennsylvania Department of Transportation aggressive driving detail, the officer began following two males on dirtbikes who were heading south on Route 51 without proper vehicle registration.

According to Dolfi, the males turned onto Maxwell Drive after seeing the officer's vehicle, and the officer drove after them. As the bikers reached the intersection of Maxwell and Roberta drives, one of them left the roadway, pulled into a residential area and stopped. However, the other biker headed toward Streets Run Road.

At that point, the officer activated his vehicle's emergency lights and siren, the chief said, but the biker did not stop and headed east on Streets Run, through the Route 51 intersection and into Baldwin Borough.

In order to avoid the risk of injury to the biker or to other motorists, the officer ceased the chase at that point, Dolfi said. The officer did head back to the residential area where the other biker pulled over, though, and began an investigation.

The investigation allowed the officer to determine who the bikers were, and police are charging the males—both of whom are minors—with numerous motor vehicle code violations, according to the chief.

In addition, the boy who refused to stop for police—a 14-year-old, Dolfi said—is facing a juvenile charge for fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer.

Police report that the 14-year-old ran at least four stop signs during the approximately three-minute long chase.