PENNSYLVANIA — An 18-year-old man is in custody after a high-speed police chase early Friday morning ended with a stolen vehicle crashing into a café in Adams County, according to Pennsylvania State Police.
Court documents state that troopers attempted to stop a black 2013 Hyundai Elantra for an expired registration around 3:20 a.m. in the 1600 block of Carlisle Pike/Route 94 in Berwick Township. Police identified the driver as Jani Bordonada-Mercado, 18, of Hanover.
According to an affidavit, when troopers activated emergency lights and sirens, Bordonada-Mercado fled, leading officers on a pursuit that reached speeds of more than 120 miles per hour. The chase continued for approximately seven miles along Carlisle Pike/Route 94.
The pursuit ended near the roundabout at Carlisle Pike/Route 94 and Stoney Point Road/Route 394 in Reading Township, in the town of Hampton. Police said the vehicle traveled through the center of the roundabout, struck a roadway sign, and then crashed into the Three Arrows Coffee Company and New Horizon Cafe, causing extensive damage and leaving a large hole in the building. Officials said no one was inside the café at the time of the crash.
Bordonada-Mercado was taken into custody and transported to York Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, police said. Investigators determined the vehicle had been recently stolen from an area near where the pursuit began.
He has been charged with fleeing or attempting to elude an officer, receiving stolen property, reckless driving, driving at an unsafe speed, registration required, and driving on roadways laned for traffic.
Residents were asked to avoid the area Friday morning while crews investigated and cleared debris. The scene has since been cleared and the roadway reopened. Pennsylvania State Police said the incident remains under investigation.
The café, located at 5413 Carlisle Pike, announced on social media that it will remain closed until further notice due to the damage. A neighboring business owner, Lindsey Forbes, partially captured the crash on a security camera, which recorded the sound of sirens followed by the moment of impact.
