Cops Chase Fleeing Teen Through Marvine-Pembroke, Police Say

Bethlehem police were forced to chase a teenager who ran when an officer tried to pick him up off the streets of the Marvine-Pembroke neighborhood on a warrant Wednesday afternoon, according to court papers.

As a result, Nixon Joel Montalvo-Velez, 19, of 1370 Fritz Drive, is facing more serious charges of escape and resisting arrest and he is in prison.

According to an arrest affidavit, Officer Erik M. Kaintz spotted Montalvo-Velez walking along the 1200 block of Woodbine Street at about 12:40 p.m. Kaintz stopped his patrol car, got out and instructed Montalvo-Velez to stay where he was.

Instead, Montalvo-Velez turned his back and ran east toward a park and then south toward apartments on Eastwood Road, police said. More police officers joined in a foot chase as it continued to the 1300 block of Fritz Drive, where Montalvo-Velez was forced to the ground by Office Blake Kuntz, the affidavit said.

Montalvo-Velez continued to resist as Kuntz and Kaintz tried to put handcuffs on him, police said.

According to online court records, Montalvo-Velez has been charged with three separate summary crimes since January and none of those charges has been adjudicated.

He is facing two counts of criminal mischief—damage to property for incidents on Jan. 29 and April 7 and one count of harassment—physical contact, for another incident on March 8.

Montalvo-Velez was arraigned before District Judge Patricia Romig-Passaro and committed to Northampton County Prison in lieu of $7,500 bail.