Car Chase In Hazleton Area Ends In Crash Into Home

WEST HAZLETON — A series of car chases in the Hazleton area Tuesday ended when the suspect crashed into a house. The incident started in Butler Township when Jeffrey Kehler, wanted for a probation violation, fled from police before ultimately shaking them off, authorities and media reports say. Hazleton Police Chief Jerry Speziale said Kehler was then spotted by Hazleton officers near the city’s hospital at around 9:30 a.m. That set off another chase, which ended a short time later when Kehler crashed onto the porch of a West Hazleton home. According to Times Leader news-gathering partner Fox 56, the car was owned by Kehler’s girlfriend, and the home he crashed into was rented by his girlfriend’s mother. Fox 56 reports this is not the first time police have been called to the home; a 3-month-old baby recently died there.