ERVING — State and local police pursued the driver of a Ford Mustang who reached a speed of 90 miles per hour on Route 2 Friday evening, refusing to stop for police.
According to Massachusetts State Police Sergeant Steven Jankowski of the Athol barracks, police noticed the man, who is currently unidentified, speeding eastbound in Erving at 6:50 p.m.
“He was already speeding and wouldn’t stop,” Jankowski said. “He was going as fast as 90 miles per hour. That’s really fast for (Route 2).”
According to Jankowski, Erving and Orange Police assisted in the chase, which continued as far as Templeton where the car drove into the median strip. At that time, the driver abandoned the vehicle and fled on foot. Jankowski said the man was the car’s only occupant.
Jankowski said the car has New York license plates, but that when searched, the plate number does not come back as belonging on a Ford Mustang. Therefore, police are unsure of the man’s identity.
“We don’t know why he took off,” Jankowski said. “There’s been no indication of any kind of crime, other than he just didn’t want to get stopped. He could be suspended, it could be almost anything.”
As of around 8:30 p.m., Jankowski said State Police, assisted by Gardner and Templeton Police, were searching for the man in the wooded area near where he abandoned the car. A K9 unit is also assisting, he said, and a helicopter search team was en route.
“They’ve got him pretty much surrounded,” he said. “Once the helicopter gets here, it should be able to find him.”
Jankowski said the police chase resulted in no accidents.