Police at the Harrisburg barracks in Dauphin County said a woman called late Monday night saying her son had left home and was suicidal, so they put out an alert for officers to be on the lookout for his vehicle.
Troopers spotted the car on the side of the road about 3 a.m. Tuesday, but it took off when they tried to approach the vehicle.
Trooper Robert Hicks, a state police spokesman, said that during the ensuing pursuit, police could see the driver, Brian White, "emptying multiple cans of gasoline within the vehicle" and throwing a couple of cigarettes out the driver's side window.
Police used spike strips in an attempt to stop the vehicle on Interstate 81 northbound, but the driver continued for another two miles despite the strips, during which time "troopers could see the inside of the car become engulfed in flames," Hicks said.
The car traveled another few hundred yards before coming to rest off the east side of the interstate, police said. Troopers were unable to approach to try to save the driver due to the intense fire. White, 33, of Hummelstown, died at the scene.
The northbound lanes of the highway were closed for several hours and Hicks said the episode remains under investigation.
