What started as a routine alert about a pursuit coming into Franklin ended with a Dayton man in handcuffs and in the water. Police say the driver led officers on a multi-agency chase Thursday evening, clipped a parked car, bolted on foot and then jumped into the Great Miami River before officers pulled him out and took him into custody. He was taken to a hospital for treatment and is expected to be booked into the Warren County Jail, and the chase briefly tied up traffic along riverfront streets while adding to a growing list of recent pursuits in the area.
How the chase unfolded
According to Franklin police, the incident kicked off around 7:11 p.m., when Middletown officers alerted them that they were chasing a vehicle headed toward the city. A Franklin officer soon spotted what was reported as a stolen vehicle blow through a red light and tried to catch up as it headed toward Miamisburg. Police say the driver ran another red light, slammed into a parked car, then bailed out of the vehicle, ran and jumped into the Great Miami River. The driver of the parked car that was hit was taken to a local hospital for treatment, according to WLWT.
Not the first river escape
Franklin officers and their neighbors are getting all too familiar with suspects heading for the water when things go bad. Local reporting has documented multiple incidents where people tried to dodge arrest by slipping into the Great Miami and ended up being pulled out by officers or rescue crews. Those cases have been chronicled by outlets like WCPO and Hoodline's Franklin I-75 chase. The pattern has put extra pressure on local rescue resources and raised ongoing questions about how police handle pursuits when there is a fast-moving waterway just a short sprint away.
Charges and investigation
Police identified the suspect as 31-year-old Juan Harris of Dayton. They say he will face charges of obstructing official business, failure to comply and receiving stolen property. According to investigators, Harris was arrested at the riverbank, evaluated at a hospital and will be booked into the Warren County Jail once medically cleared. The Ohio State Highway Patrol is handling the crash portion of the case, according to WLWT.
Safety note
Officials warn that the Great Miami River is a terrible escape route and a dangerous place for spur-of-the-moment stunts, with cold, fast currents and hidden debris under the surface that can turn a quick jump into a life-threatening emergency. Past coverage, including reporting by FOX19, shows how often river searches shift from rescue to recovery and why fire and police crews treat every river entry as a high-risk call. We will update this story as Franklin police or the Ohio State Highway Patrol release additional information.
