14-year-olds lead troopers on chase, crash van into house

UNION COUNTY, N.C. — Two teenagers are accused of leading Highway Patrol troopers on a chase before they crashed into a home in Union County overnight.

Troopers told Channel 9 that it started around 1:30 a.m. when one of the teens was driving a van and made an illegal U-turn.

A trooper spotted them and when he tried to pull the van over, the teens took off.

Authorities said the chase reached speeds up to 120 mph, and when the teens would not stop, troopers used a pit maneuver (a pursuit tactic by which a pursuing car can force a fleeing car to abruptly turn sideways, causing the driver to lose control and stop) to knock them off the road.

The teens then crashed into a house in the 2600 block of Waxhaw Indian Trail Road, near Highway 74.

The collision left a gaping hole in the side of the house, and also knocked down the chimney onto the van.

No one was in the home at the time and officials said the boys were not hurt.

Channel 9 spoke with a neighbor who described hearing the crash.

"It sounded like metal and tires squealing and stuff before it hit the house, and then all of sudden it sounded like a bomb went off," James Helms said.

Troopers handcuffed the teens, but they were not arrested because they were juveniles. Instead, the pair was turned over to their parents.

Officials told Channel 9 that they would be contacting the Department of Juvenile Justice to determine if the teenagers will face charges.

Read more top trending stories on wsoctv.com:

• Deputies investigating double shooting that left man dead in Union Co.
• Crews recover missing boater's body from Lake Norman
• Beaver attacks 67-year-old paddleboarder on Beaver Lake
• Pineville police say man killed woman before injuring himself
• 14-year-olds lead troopers on chase, crash van into house

Cox Media Group