Search underway for driver who fled scene after crashing stolen car in Rehoboth Beach

REHOBOTH BEACH, Del. – Delaware State Police are asking for the public’s help in identifying a driver who reportedly fled after crashing a stolen car Monday night in Rehoboth Beach.

Shortly after 11 p.m., a trooper on patrol in the Lewes area observed a tan 2008 Chevrolet Malibu traveling southbound on Coastal Highway, south of Dartmouth Drive. After a computer check revealed that the car had been reported stolen out of the Milford Police Department earlier in the day, the trooper began following the car. A traffic stop was attempted, but the driver allegedly accelerated into the parking lot of the Hampton Inn, located at 18826 Coastal Highway. The vehicle then collided with an unoccupied parked car, and three occupants fled from the stolen vehicle on foot.

Troopers and the Delaware State Police Aviation Unit began searching the surrounding areas and were able to find the two passengers hiding in a yard in the Maplewood development. Both passengers, identified as 17-year-old males from Ellendale, were arrested and charged with resisting arrest. One teen was turned over to a legal guardian, and the other was held at Stevenson House on a $1,000 bond.

Troopers have obtained surveillance photos of the driver and are asking anyone who can identify the suspect to contact Corporal K. Koff at 302-703-3347 or Delaware Crime Stoppers at 1-800-TIP-3333.