By Stephanie Farr
The Philadelphia Daily News
ROXBOROUGH, Pa. — An off-duty cop boating in the Schuylkill made a catch worth bragging about Saturday when he nabbed a criminal suspect from the river’s waters.
Late last week, Joseph Digiacomo, 27, was driving in Roxborough when he was stopped by Fifth District cops because he was a suspect in two burglaries and was wanted on a bench warrant, said police spokesman Sgt. Ray Evers.
Digiacomo drove off, and his vehicle almost struck several officers, adding assault on police officers and eluding authorities to the charges against him, Evers said.
Sometime before 7 p.m. Saturday, police in Whitemarsh, Montgomery County, spotted Digiacomo’s car and, knowing he was a wanted man, tried to conduct a traffic stop, Evers said.
Instead of pulling over, Digiacomo led police on a chase that ended on River Road, where he ditched his car and jumped into the Schuylkill, police said.
He remained in the river for up to 45 minutes, before the off-duty cop, who lives in the area and owns a boat, was able to apprehend him, Evers said. Marine units were en route when the cop made the catch. His name was not released.
Digiacomo, of Livezey Street near Ridge Avenue, already has a long criminal record dating to 2001, when he was 18, according to online court records.
He is on probation in an aggravated-assault case and is awaiting trial on charges of simple assault, unlawful restraint and false imprisonment, court documents show.
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