Kiski police searching for 2 people after chase, crash that prompted closure of nearby school

VANDERGRIFT, Pa. — Kiski Township Police are searching for two people following a chase and a crash that prompted the closure of a nearby elementary school.

Westmoreland County dispatchers say the incident began at around 8 a.m. Friday.

Authorities say that the two people ran off after a police chase that started in Kiski Township and ended when the car crashed into a fire hydrant in Vandergrift.

James Smail, a neighbor who lives across the street from East Primary School, told Channel 11 what he saw.

“A lot of cop cars. When the busses normally come in, they were flying around, and when our babysitter came in today said she saw one cop car stop and take off up the street right in front of the school,” Smail told Channel 11′s Andrew Havranek.

The chase started after police pulled the car over for not using a turn signal. They ran the registration and found the car had been stolen from New Kensington. The car stopped, and a man got out and ran. The woman driving sped off through Kiski and Parks Townships, and crashed into a fire hydrant on East Adams Avenue in Vandergrift.

“I woke up to the sound of a crash, and when I looked out my window, the fire hydrant on the corner here was taken out,” Brett Orait said. “There was a white car that had obviously hit into it. Windshield wipers were still going.”

As water sprayed out of the hydrant, police say the woman ran off.

“A drone team from Murrysville Medic One, and K-9 units from Westmoreland County assisted on attempting to track the female, however, they were unsuccessful,” said Kiski Township Police Chief Lee Bartolicious.

Both the man and woman remain on the run. Their names are unknown. Neighbors hope they’re caught quickly.

“Just for general safety because you don’t know if it could be your car that they steal next or if they could be hiding in your backyard or something like that,” said Orait. “So, it definitely is a concern to everyone around. There are a lot of children in this area, there’s an elementary school just up the road, it’s an extreme risk.”

If you have any information that will help police you’re asked to give them a call or email the investigating officer, Patrolman Zach Byers, at zbyers@kiskitownship-pa.gov.

Police say tips can remain confidential.

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