Police cruiser damaged in crash
A state police cruiser was damaged in a crash in Schuylkill County on Friday. State police at Frackville said the incident occurred at 9:15 p.m. at the intersection of routes 924 and 61 in Frackville.
Troopers said a trooper observed two vehicles traveling one behind the other northbound on Oak Street and approaching the intersection of 924 and 61 at a high rate of speed.
The first vehicle entered the intersection as the traffic light was yellow. The light then turned to steady red, while the trooper attempted to make a U-turn to pursue the speeding vehicle.
As he did his cruiser was struck by the second vehicle involved in the incident on the front right passenger side by the front of the other vehicle. Upon impact the state police cruiser, a 2014 Ford Taurus, spun counter-clockwise while the other vehicle, a 2008 GMC Sierra truck, came to rest in the right lane.
The trooper, Mario Pompei, 39, and the other driver, Bernard A. Zaremba, 23, of Frackville, were both uninjured. The cruiser had to be towed while the GMC was driven from the scene. Troopers said Zaremba is facing several traffic offenses as a result of the crash.