A police chase in Maple Heights ended in a backyard cliff scare Sunday afternoon when a car carrying an 8-year-old plunged down a steep embankment behind a home, neighbors said. Both the child and the driver survived, but witnesses say the man behind the wheel bolted before officers could take him into custody. Tread marks carved along the edge of the yard showed where the vehicle left solid ground before coming to rest against a tree at the bottom of the slope. Residents described a chaotic scene and said it was sheer luck no one outside was hit.
The pursuit started after the driver ran a red light at Libby Road and Cato Street and ended behind a house on Stanley Avenue, which dead-ends into the hillside, according to News 5 Cleveland. Witnesses told reporters the car tore through a neighbor’s lawn and slammed into a tree before the driver jumped out and sprinted into nearby woods. Bystanders and emergency crews rushed to help the occupants while officers worked to secure the crash site, the outlet reported.
"She was crying and screaming, and she was saying, 'I told him to stop, I told him to stop,'" recalled witness Ben Krawulski, speaking with News 5 Cleveland. Another neighbor, Cynthia Tychan, said the driver had to have been "running from something" and that she watched the car "go down the hill so fast." News 5 also spoke with the child’s mother, who identified the passenger as her 8-year-old and said her daughter used an iPad to call her from the back seat in the middle of the ordeal.
Neighbors Say It Could Have Been Much Worse
Residents along Stanley Avenue said they were relieved to hear the child survived but furious that a fleeing driver tore through their quiet block. Several neighbors pointed to ripped-up lawns and the stark line of tread marks cutting toward the trees as proof of how close the car came to homes and anyone who might have been outside. One neighbor said the crash has sharpened long-simmering frustration over dangerous police pursuits spilling onto narrow residential streets where families spend time in their yards.
Possible Charges Under Ohio Law
Police have said charges are pending while the department and local prosecutors sort through the details. Under Ohio Revised Code section 2921.331, "failure to comply with an order or signal of a police officer," often referred to as fleeing and eluding, is typically a fourth-degree felony but can be enhanced if the chase causes serious physical harm or follows another felony, according to the Ohio Revised Code. If prosecutors decide the driver’s actions created a substantial risk of serious harm, they could seek tougher charges under that statute.
What Authorities Say and Next Steps
Maple Heights police have not released body camera footage and say the investigation is still active, with charging decisions yet to be made. Anyone with information is urged to contact the Maple Heights Police Department, the department’s contact details are listed on the city’s website. We will be watching for updates from investigators and local prosecutors as the case moves forward.
