Car drives off cliff and into ravine during chase, killing two occupants, PA cops say

Two people from Maryland are dead after a car drove off an embankment and fell 30 feet into a ravine during a police chase in Pennsylvania, officials told news outlets.

Farmer Dennis Hissong, a witness, told WGAL he had only ever seen such a thing in movies. It was the wee hours of Dec. 20, but through the darkness, he could see the Jeep SUV in the ravine.

“I came to the edge of the hole and saw a car submerged in the water almost completely upside down,” he told WGAL. “I’m assuming they had no idea the ground was going to drop off that quickly in front of them.”

Pennsylvania State Police said the incident began just before 1 a.m. in Antrim Township when troopers responded to a report of two males unlawfully entering vehicles and possibly stealing, WHTM reported.

When troopers tried to stop a Jeep SUV believed to be driven by the pair, the two fled, state police told WCAU. A chase began.

With troopers on their tail, the duo turned off-road, speeding through Franklin County farmland, WHTM reported.

According to WCAU, troopers said they drove across several farms. Then suddenly, the car was in the air. They had driven off a cliff and into a ravine.

The Jeep hit the water and sank, the outlet reported, taking the people inside down with it.

According to WHTM, state troopers called the local fire department, EMS and water rescue units.

In the vehicle, first responders found a 16-year-old driver and a passenger, Robert Norwood, 21, dead, WGAL reported. They were from Hagerstown, Maryland.

The incident is under investigation, news outlets reported.

Antrim Township is about 30 miles southwest of Gettysburg.

This story was originally published December 22, 2023 at 6:29 PM.