WILMINGTON, DE — Delaware State Police arrested a 17-year-old Wilmington male on multiple felony gun and drug charges following a vehicle pursuit that ended in a crash in Newark on Monday afternoon.
According to investigators, the incident began on September 29, 2025, at approximately 1:00 p.m. when members of the Delaware State Police Highway Safety Unit observed a Kia Sportage traveling northbound on South Walnut Street near Rogers Road. A computer check revealed the vehicle had been reported stolen out of Philadelphia. When troopers attempted to stop the vehicle, the driver allegedly refused to comply and fled northbound.
Police reported that the driver committed multiple traffic violations, including running red lights and speeding through several Wilmington streets, before entering I-95 southbound toward Newark. For public safety reasons, troopers ended the ground pursuit, while the Delaware State Police Aviation Section continued monitoring the suspect from above.
A short time later, authorities said the Kia crashed in a private parking lot near North College Avenue and West Cleveland Avenue in Newark. The driver fled on foot, discarding a loaded handgun and magazine while attempting to escape. Troopers located him on East Cleveland Avenue, where he was taken into custody without further incident.
A search of the suspect yielded approximately 50.7 grams of suspected marijuana and 2.77 grams of suspected crack cocaine. The firearm recovered was determined to have no serial number, making it untraceable.
The teenager, who police noted has prior felony convictions, was charged with multiple offenses, including possession of ammunition for a firearm by a person under 21, possession of an undetectable firearm, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, possession of a firearm if previously convicted of a violent felony, carrying a concealed deadly weapon, disregarding a police officer’s signal, receiving stolen property, drug possession offenses, and resisting arrest, among other charges.
He was arraigned by the New Castle County Family Court and committed to the Department of Services for Children, Youth, & Their Families on a $125,500 cash bond.
All charges are allegations, and a suspect, arrestee, or defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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