GRAND RAPIDS, MICH — An overnight car theft spree and police chase that began in Ada ended with a young man jumping into the Grand River in an attempt to escape arrest, according to multiple police agencies.
Around 3 a.m. Friday, deputies were called to a neighborhood near Adaridge and Adapointe after a vehicle was reported stolen from the owner's driveway, said the Kent County Sheriff's Office. As deputies arrived, four stolen vehicles sped off from the scene.
Deputies were able to flatten the tires of three of the vehicles with stop sticks as they tried to leave the Ada neighborhood. The suspects took off west on Fulton Street; one was found abandoned near Ada Cemetery; another was parked on I-196 near Fuller Avenue.
The remaining two vehicles eventually crashed in the S-curve on US-131 in downtown Grand Rapids.
Afterward, two of the suspects from the crashed vehicles tried to run. One was quickly arrested, but the second suspect jumped into the Grand River to escape, said the sheriff's office. The teen swam to a rock in the middle of the river, then was picked up by a Grand Rapids Fire Department team.
Two suspects, both juveniles, were medically checked over before deputies took them to the Kent County Juvenile Detention Center, said the sheriff's office..
The four stolen vehicles were taken from neighborhood across West Michigan, said the sheriff's office, but it did not specify any community besides Ada.
The investigation is ongoing as deputies work to track down the remaining suspects involved.
Anyone with information is asked to reach out to the Kent County Sheriff's Department at (616) 632-6125, or Silent Observer online or at (616) 774-2345.
Follow FOX 17: Facebook - X (formerly Twitter) - Instagram - YouTube
