UPDATE: Levittown Man Arrested After Several Police Chases In U-Haul

UPDATED: 6:57 p.m., Tuesday:

A local man is in custody following a series of police pursuits Tuesday that ended in a head-on wreck.

Ryan Laskowski, 38, of the Levittown section of Bristol Township, was apprehended by Bensalem Township officers after a third and final chase ended at the intersection of Bristol Road and Grandview Avenue by the Neshaminy Mall.

The incident began at approximately 7:45 a.m. when Bristol Township police received a well-being check request from a Newtown Township woman concerning her adult son.

Police said they found the man was reportedly in the area of Bath Road and Veterans Highway in a rented U-Haul truck that was past its return date.

Officers located the vehicle and attempted a traffic stop, but the driver failed to stop, police said.

During the initial chase, the driver of the orange-and-white rental truck committed several traffic violations and struck another vehicle near Route 13 and Veterans Highway before fleeing the scene, police said.

The vehicle traveled along Bath Road, Route 13, and Veterans Highway through Bristol Borough and Bristol Township, according to witnesses and sources.

Bristol Township police terminated the pursuit for safety reasons at 8 a.m. as the truck entered I-95 during the morning rush hour.

After the chase, U-Haul reported the truck stolen and it was entered in a law enforcement database, police said.

Investigators identified Laskowski as the driver and obtained an arrest warrant, police said.

At 2:56 p.m., a Bristol Township officer reportedly spotted the stationary U-Haul in a parking lot near New Falls Road and Woerner Avenue.

When officers attempted to detain him, the driver fled again, leading police back onto I-95. Pennsylvania State Police took over and eventually called off that pursuit, police said.

The final chase began later that afternoon in Bensalem Township after the vehicle was spotted near the Acme market at Bristol and Hulmeville roads, according to Bensalem Township Public Safety Director William McVey.

The truck traveled up Bristol Road toward the Neshaminy Mall, striking multiple civilian vehicles before crashing head-on into a Mercedes, the public safety director said.

During the pursuit, Laskowski also struck a Bensalem Township cruiser and a Pennsylvania State Police vehicle, McVey said.

“He needed to be stopped for the safety of everyone,” McVey said, noting that authorities suspect Laskowski may have been intoxicated.

Several people in the vehicles that were hit reported injuries, but all were non-life-threatening, Laskowski said.

Laskowski was taken to a local hospital under guard for evaluation and has since been medically cleared to come before a district judge, police said.

Bristol Township police have filed two sets of charges related to the initial pursuits and the stolen U-Haul truck. Bensalem Township police also expect to file charges.

Laskowski was awaiting arraignment as of 6 p.m. Tuesday, according to Bristol Township police Lt. Sean Cosgrove.

The incident is under investigation by Bristol Township, Bensalem Township, and the Pennsylvania State Police.

At the time of the chases, Laskowski was out on bail on two drug cases out of Falls Township. He is due to have preliminary hearings in those cases in January.

UPDATED: 4:34 p.m., Tuesday:

The U-Haul truck was involved in another chase in Bensalem Township around 3:30 p.m.

The U-Haul crashed head-on into a sedan on Bristol Road by the Neshaminy Mall.

As of 4 p.m., the driver was in custody, a source said.

Original Story:

Police in Lower Bucks County are searching for a driver who led law enforcement on two separate pursuits in a U-Haul truck Tuesday.

The incidents, which spanned several municipalities, began around 8 a.m. and remained unresolved as of late Tuesday afternoon.

According to Bristol Township police Sgt. Jason Mancuso, the morning pursuit began after the U-Haul was involved in a hit-and-run crash near the intersection of Route 13 and Veterans Highway (Route 413).

No serious injuries were reported.

Local resident Joe Lepley Jr. captured video of the truck fleeing down Veterans Highway toward I-95.

Witnesses and sources said the vehicle traveled along Bath Road, Route 13, and Veterans Highway through Bristol Borough and Bristol Township.

Mancuso said officers terminated the initial chase for safety reasons once the U-Haul entered I-95.

The vehicle was spotted again at approximately 3 p.m. in Bensalem Township.

Bristol Township police initiated a second pursuit that moved back onto I-95, Mancuso said.

Pennsylvania State Police took over the chase before it was again called off in I-95, according to Mancuso.

A law enforcement source told LevittownNow.com the man believed to be operating the vehicle has had previous contacts with police.

As of 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, the driver was not in custody.