A high-speed pursuit involving Delaware State Police and a Pennsylvania man ended with an arrest near Frederica, a chaotic sequence that began on the Senator William V. Roth Jr. Bridge, continued on State Route 1 (SR1), and culminated in a collision with a utility pole. Twenty-two year-old Thomas Casey of West Chester, faced multiple charges after his black BMW, observed on a bare rim and shedding parts, left a trail of hazards for motorists and nearly struck police officers using stop sticks to end the chase, as reported by the Delaware State Police.
The incident began around 12:45 p.m. on Friday when New Castle County Police Department alerted troopers of the suspect's southbound trajectory across the bridge; the BMW refused to stop, despite police commands, and Delaware State Police joined in as the BMW barreled through Middletown and Townsend at perilous speeds, parts of the vehicle flying off—striking a marked DSP patrol car, tearing the middle of its hood, and in another case, a metal brake caliper dislodged, almost hitting a trooper inside another vehicle.
As described by the Delaware State Police, the actions taken included the use of stop sticks by a trooper near Frederica on SR1—the BMW struck these but also swerved, endangering an officer who narrowly avoided being hit by sidestepping towards a concrete barrier; a similar maneuver was executed further down the road, near Bowers Beach Road, but the suspect's vehicle again menacingly swerved at an officer deploying stop sticks.
Eventually, the BMW merged onto Exit 86, crash-landed into a traffic sign, and halted at a utility pole near Frederica Pizza—with Casey attempting to flee on foot down Market Street, but troopers swiftly apprehended him, despite his resistance, causing minor injuries to the officers and damaging their uniforms; Casey declined medical treatment from Emergency Medical Services upon their arrival at the scene.
Casey was taken to Troop 3, where signs of impairment prompted a legal blood draw; following an investigation, he was charged with several crimes, including aggravated menacing, resisting arrest, DUI, and a host of other related offenses, and then committed to Sussex Correctional Institution on a $50,877 cash bond after being arraigned by Justice of the Peace Court 11.
