Fleeing driver caught near Route 70 convenience store
MEDFORD, NJ — A single car slammed into a utility pole on Route 70 Thursday afternoon, but when police arrived the driver was gone, setting off a search that ended in a Wawa parking lot with an arrest on drug and obstruction charges, officials said.
Police, fire and EMS crews responded around 2:45 p.m. Thursday to Route 70 and Eayrestown Road for a reported crash involving one vehicle that struck a utility pole.
The vehicle was found unoccupied. A passenger was located walking away from the scene and told officers the driver had fled. The driver was identified as Charles C. Cooper of Prince Street in Chatsworth.
Medford Township Police deployed a department drone along with a K9 team from the Pemberton Township Police Department to search the area. K9 Pepper and her handler located Cooper in the parking lot of Wawa, 257 Route 70 in Medford.
Cooper was arrested on outstanding warrants and charged with possession of narcotics, possession of drug paraphernalia, and obstruction. He was lodged in the Burlington County Jail.
A crash into a utility pole quickly turned into a manhunt that ended with a K9 track and multiple charges.
Key Points
- Single vehicle crashed into utility pole at Route 70 and Eayrestown Road
- Driver fled scene and was later located at Wawa on Route 70
- Suspect charged with warrants, narcotics possession, paraphernalia, and obstruction