Falls Township police officers chased a motorcycle through Levittown Tuesday evening.
Around 8 p.m., a Falls Township patrolman spotted a black motorcycle on New Falls Road and its plate came back as a dead tag. In addition, the owner had a suspended license, according to court papers.
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The officer attempted to stop the motorcycle and the rider sped off at a high rate of speed, police said.
Officers chased the motorcycle as it went on the wrong side of New Falls Road to Tyburn Road, onto Route 13 southbound, and off at Penn Valley Road, police said.
The pursuit ranged from speeds to 20 mph to 80 mph as it went throughout the area. The motorcycle failed to stop for multiple marked patrol vehicles, police said.
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The motorcyclist led officers through the North Park neighborhood, on Mill Creek Parkway, onto the wrong side of the Levittown Parkway as traffic was oncoming, and through the Pinewood and Lakeside neighborhoods, police said.
The motorcyclist ditched the motorcycle on the grounds of Walt Disney Elementary on the Falls Township and Tullytown Borough border, police said.
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The rider fled on foot as there were four kids playing nearby, police said.
During the foot pursuit, officers were able to capture the motorcyclist and identified him as Michael John Cronon, 38, of Bristol Township’s Levittown section.
“Michael placed the general public in danger driving on the wrong side of the roadway numerous times, placed the officers in danger as he fled and the officers were pursuing, and also placed the officers in danger as he was running on foot,” Officer Matthew Shannon wrote in an affidavit of probable cause for Cronon.
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Police said they found methamphetamine in Cronon’s backpack.
Cronon was preliminarily arraigned early Wednesday morning by on-call District Judge Daniel Baranoski on charges of fleeing or attempting to elude officers, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct, reckless endangerment, possession of a controlled substance, use/possession of drug paraphernalia, and several summary traffic offenses. Cronon was being held at the Bucks County Correctional Facility on 10 percent of $50,000 bail.
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Editor’s Note: All individuals arrested or charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty. The story was compiled using information from police and public court documents.
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