Data: Police pursuits in Philadelphia among growing trend across Pennsylvania

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- New data shows the number of police pursuits in Pennsylvania has been on the rise.

The most recent incident happened on Sunday afternoon in Philadelphia, where a 68-year-old cyclist was hit by a police vehicle during a chase at 7th and Spring Garden streets.

Police were pursuing a vehicle because they say it was connected to a recent shooting.

MORE | Cyclist injured after being struck by police vehicle during chase in Northern Liberties

While traveling in the eastbound lanes in the 700 block of Spring Garden, police say the wanted driver entered the bike lane and a police vehicle subsequently struck the 68-year-old victim, as well as another vehicle.

The bike was left a mangled mess of metal in the intersection.

That chase occurred just hours after another police pursuit that started on Saturday in Upper Darby. It ended with a rollover crash in Philadelphia.

The Honda SUV involved, with four people inside, was recently reported stolen out of Bristol Borough. Please say 19-year-old Victor Mariani was behind the wheel.

"The driver, who is now the defendant, is being charged with the stolen vehicle, receiving stolen property, fleeing and eluding, and two firearms that were recovered. One is a 9 mm Glock. The other is a ghost gun. Both 9 mm, both were modified with illegal switches," said Upper Darby Police Superintendent Timothy Bernhardt.

SEE ALSO | 2 teens hospitalized following police chase that ended in crash in Cobbs Creek

Bernhardt says those two cases pose as stark reminders of the dangers involved with police pursuits, both to the officer and to the public.

The 6abc Data Journalism Team found that chases in Pennsylvania are up 60%, from 1,805 in 2016, before peaking in 2023, when 2,961 were reported.

So far this year, a little over 1,000 incidents have been reported.

Richard Vona, Bucks County's Director of Law and Safety, says every department has its individual pursuit policy.

SEE ALSO | Philadelphia police ID suspect arrested in Delaware County after high-speed chase

But he says every time an officer engages in a pursuit, that officer quickly begins processing through what the law says, what his or her training dictates, and their gut instinct.

"And that's really what it comes down to, the officer is going to make decisions based on the information he or she has at that time on whether to continue to pursue or not," said Vona.

The four people inside the vehicle that was being chased in Upper Darby all suffered minor injuries.

The 68-year-old bicyclist who was struck in Philadelphia remains hospitalized in stable condition.