Chopper 6 was overhead around 3 p.m. as tow truck crews removed the vehicle from the area of Baltimore Pike and Turner Road.
Police tell Action News the suspect, identified as 27-year-old Jaliel Ali-Johnson, was initially arrested overnight after officers spotted him looking into a vehicle. He allegedly provided false identification and was found with a small amount of drugs, investigators said. Officers also discovered evidence that he had been entering vehicles.
Ali-Johnson was charged with loitering, prowling, and drug violations, and held in Haverford.
According to police, Ali-Johnson escaped custody while being transported by Pennsylvania State Constables to George Hill Correctional Facility. He slipped out of his handcuffs and fled.
Police say he then stole a silver sedan and headed northbound on Route 1. An Upper Providence officer attempted to stop him, but Ali-Johnson continued speeding through Media Borough before crashing into a red truck at Baltimore Pike and Turner Road near Smedley Park.
He fled into nearby woods but was arrested near Interstate 476 following a 20-minute search.
"It was pretty crazy. It looked like it was TV," said truck driver Charles Borromeo, who was struck during the crash. Borromeo, who was driving to a store for work, suffered neck and shoulder pain but is recovering at home.
"Within seconds, I heard screeching tires behind me. This guy hit me so hard, it actually pushed my rear end, the axle, forward," Borromeo said. "I got whiplash pretty good, but at least I had my seat belt on."
The nearby community was briefly advised to shelter in place while the suspect was on the run.
"We could see the cops getting out of the cars, rifles drawn. We could see them heading into the woods, a lot of shouting," said Emily Zarek of Nether Providence Township. "When you think about the magnitude of what it was, it was over and done with pretty quickly, so that was good."
Borromeo says his truck is totaled and he'll need to buy a new one.
"If I get a good night's sleep tonight, I'll be alright tomorrow. Crap happens. What can you do? Just gotta pull yourself up by your bootstraps and get going again," he said.