April 17, 2023
Mathias Reding/Pexels.com
Tyler Morrell, a driver for Cocco's Pizza in Aston, helped Brookhaven police stop a suspected car thief while in the middle of a delivery in Middletown Township on Sunday afternoon. A doorbell camera captured his actions.
A Delaware County deliveryman helped Brookhaven police stop a suspected car thief from running away on Sunday afternoon – without dropping the pizza he was about to hand to a customer.
Tyler Morrell, a driver for Cocco's Pizza in Aston, had just walked up to the front door of a home on Preston Road in Middletown Township shortly after 3 p.m. That's when he and the homeowner saw a high-speed chase between police and the suspected thief, NBC10 reported.
The suspect drove down Preston Road before crashing into a utility pole and attempting to flee on foot. Morrell walked down to the street, pizza in hand, wanting to make sure his car wasn't impacted. When the suspect ran by, Morrell tripped him by sticking out his foot. The suspect fell to the ground and was arrested before Morrell completed the delivery.
His actions were caught on the homeowner's Ring doorbell camera and shared on social media by Cocco's Pizza on Sunday evening.
"I tried to just trip him but he went flying," Morrell told the Delaware County Daily Times. "I think I could help the police out a little bit. I guess I went in and went full punter on."
Brookhaven police did not immediately return calls for comment, but investigators told 6ABC that the crashed car had been reported stolen Saturday in Upper Darby. When officers saw the car Sunday, they activated their sirens, causing the driver to speed off before losing control on the first block of Preston Road, police said.
@coccos_astonSince the first one got deleted
♬ original sound - Cocco’s Pizza - Aston
The suspect, a 17-year-old boy, attempted to drive away but the car wouldn't move because of the impact from the crash, police said. When he tried to leave on foot, he was tripped by Morrell and taken into custody shortly afterward. A second suspect, a 19-year-old man, also was arrested.
The two teenagers were charged with receiving stolen property, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, fleeing and eluding police, possession of drugs and paraphernalia, resisting arrest and related traffic offenses.
The video of Morrell's actions has been viewed and shared thousands of times, with viewers praising him for his quick decision-making and heroic actions, all without dropping the pizza in his hands.
Many people thanked Morrell for intervening and helping instead of simply filming the interaction with police, but Brookhaven Police Chief Michael Vice told CBS Philadelphia that in general, "we don't want them to intervene," adding that police prefer to apprehend suspects by themselves.
Cocco's Pizza in Aston could not be immediately reached for comment on Monday morning.
