Jailed Greensburg man charged with leading police in 108 mph chase [Tribune-Review, Greensburg, Pa.]

December 2 – A Greensburg man accused of leading police in a seven-mile high-speed chase that started in the city and ended near Murrysville was arrested after an officer recognized his car parked at a grocery store and was able to identify it, court documents show.

Greensbourg patroller Hank fontana jr. was investigating a complaint about a suspicious vehicle parked behind a Main Street North business on November 5 when he said he saw a man later identified as Michael P. Kiselka, 26, who appeared to be cutting a catalytic converter from a box truck.

Kiselka got in her car and drove north Business Route 66Fontana wrote in court documents.

“(Kiselka) nearly collided with several vehicles including a school bus, illegally passed 28 vehicles, failed to stop at two fixed red signals and drove at a speed of around 108 mph,” wrote Fontana.

Fontana ended the chase after more than 7 miles after his patrol car had a flat tire, court records show.

However, the police caught Kiselka when he was later identified and taken into custody. November 11th when Fontana recognized Kiselka’s 2003 black Kia parked at the Shop ‘n Save on Road 66, just north of Greensbourg.

During a search of the car, Fontana said he found a battery-powered electric saw in the back seat. This type of saw could be used to cut metal, Fontana said.

Later that day, police seized a newly cut catalytic converter from Kiselka’s residence in 407 avenue Noyer during a search. Kiselka is a mechanic, according to court documents.

He was taken into custody by Millvale police and was detained in the Allegheny County Jail on other unrelated theft charges in several communities, including Munhall and Versailles North, before being transferred to Westmoreland confinement, police said.

On Wednesday, Kiselka was charged with several counts, including escape, flight and escape, concealment, possession of criminal instruments, theft; 29 counts of reckless endangerment and 123 summary traffic violations, including driving with a suspended license.

Federal judge Chris Flanigan ordered that he be held without bond, noting in court documents that Kiselka “appears to be a flight risk and a danger to the community”.

Kiselka did not have a lawyer listed in court documents.

The National Insurance Crime Bureau, a nonprofit dedicated to fighting insurance fraud and vehicle theft, has reported that there has been a significant increase in catalytic converter thefts across the country since the start of the pandemic in march 2020.

According to the NICB, a catalytic converter is a device that looks like a small muffler with the exhaust system. It is designed to convert environmentally hazardous exhaust gases emitted by an engine into less harmful gases.

Manufacturers use platinum, palladium or rhodium in devices. The values ​​of these precious metals have increased considerably in recent years.

From december 2020, rhodium has been evaluated at $ 14,500 per ounce, palladium at $ 2,336 per ounce and platinum was $ 1,061 per ounce. Typically, recyclers will pay $ 50 To $ 250 by catalytic converter, according to the NICB.

At October 2, state police said thieves removed catalytic converters from 35 vehicles parked at Valero Century RV, along Road 66 in Salem, just north of Delmont. Kiski State Police are still investigating the case.

Paul peirce is an editor of Tribune-Review. You can contact Paul at 724-850-2860, [email protected] or via Twitter.

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