By James Halpin
The Citizens’ Voice, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
LUZERNE COUNTY, Pa. — A Fairview Twp. man who was arrested after attempting “suicide by cop” on Tuesday night stole a Rice Twp. police car and led officers on a chase up Interstate 81 before returning to Mountain Top to surrender, according to charges.
Police said Nestor Enrique Foley, 23, of 9 Briar Lane, was in handcuffs when he slipped through the open window of a police cage, kicked the officer in the front seat to escape and then stole another police car.
The incident began around 9:40 p.m. Tuesday, when Foley called 911 to report hearing the sound of glass breaking and someone opening a door at his house.
According to the complaint, responding officers found no broken windows and instead observed Foley standing near a screened porch in the back.
Foley ran through the backyard, and when police caught up to him on Cherry Lane, Foley was holding what appeared to be a black pistol, according to the complaint.
Foley initially refused commands to drop the weapon — which turned out to be a pellet gun — but then complied and got down on the ground, police said.
“Why didn’t you shoot me?” the complaint quotes Foley as saying. “I called 911. I wanted suicide by cop!”
Officers brought Foley back to his home to conduct a search for any possible victims. During the search, Foley was sitting in the back of a Wright Twp. police car with his hands cuffed in front of his body, according to the complaint.
At one point, Foley asked to speak to Sgt. Scott Rozitski, who then opened a sliding window on the police cage.
Foley asked if the officers in the house could let out his dogs, and then proceeded to push through the window head first, police said.
Rozitski reported that he grabbed Foley, but Foley kicked him and was able to escape through the passenger door of the police car, the complaint says.
Foley ran to a waiting Rice Twp. police car, turned it on and sped off, according to the charges.
Police contacted Luzerne County 911, which used GPS to track the car down to Pine Run Road, at which point the GPS was disabled.
State troopers found the vehicle on I-81 northbound, but lost contact with it in the area of state Route 315, according to the complaint.
Police then contacted Foley over the police radio, and he said he was returning to Mountain Top.
Officers found and arrested Foley in the parking lot of the Broadway Tavern on North Mountain Boulevard.
Foley appeared intoxicated and was taken to Wilkes-Barre General Hospital for a blood-alcohol test, police said.
Officers charged Foley with felony counts of theft and fleeing police, as well as misdemeanor counts of escape, making false reports and driving under the influence.
Court records indicated he had not been immediately arraigned.
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©2020 The Citizens’ Voice (Wilkes-Barre, Pa.)