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BY DEIRDRE CONNER

In print | Published November 6, 2003

A man who may have been a suspect in a string of thefts on campus this summer was involved in a serious accident after he fled from Public Safety officers.

The man, now identified as Donald L. Rice Jr., 30, of the 1200 block of S. 23 Street in Philadelphia, was spotted on Aug. 14 by staff, who described him as a person suspected of stealing credit cards and personal items from offices in Parrish, according to a statement issued Tuesday by Director of Public Safety Owen Redgrave.

When Public Safety officers tried to stop Rice, he ran to his car, a Jeep Grand Cherokee, which was parked on the upper campus, according to reports. He hit two cars as he drove out. Vice President Maurice Eldridge said he believed Public Safety officers attempted to follow the man as he fled in order to record his license plate number.

Around 2:45 p.m., Rice was traveling north on Route 320 (Chester Road) and turned left to go west on the Baltimore Pike, according to reports from the Swarthmore and Springfield police. He then ran a red light at the intersection of the Baltimore Pike and the Springfield Mall and hit another car. When his Jeep hit the car and then the curb, it rolled over three or four times, and Rice was ejected. He was taken to Crozer-Chester Medical Center, where he remained on a respirator for at least a month.

Larry Schall, vice president for facilities and services, said the incident was “not a chase.” He declined to comment, however, on whether the officers were following Rice.

Swarthmore and Springfield police responded to the accident soon after, Swarthmore Police Chief Brian Craig said, where Public Saftey officers “were the first ones on the scene.” When responding to the call, “we were operating on the presumption that it was a continuous event from the time the trespass started to the time the accident occurred,” he said.

Schall said the Public Safety officers did not see the accident happen.

As of Sept. 15, Rice was on a respirator and not responding to stimulus, according to a Springfield Police Department report. But, according to Crozer-Chester records, he was discharged Oct. 30. Attempts to contact Rice or any members of his family Wednesday were unsuccessful.

It is not known whether Rice was responsible for the thefts, though they have stopped except for one incident, Schall said. Swarthmore police are still investigating the case.

“We haven’t received any information for his legitimately being on college grounds. The way he left indicates that he certainly didn’t think he did,” Craig said.

The description issued last spring identified the suspect as a black male in his mid- to late twenties, 5 feet 8 inches to 5 feet 11 inches, with a medium complexion, a medium build, short hair and possible facial hair.

While no college official would comment on exactly what happened from the time when Rice left campus to the time he crashed on the Baltimore Pike, both Eldridge and Redgrave said Public Safety does not and should not engage in car chases.

The Swarthmore Police Department policy tells officers not to chase vehicles for “minor infractions,” Craig said. When they do, they are required by state law to use their lights and siren “and even then to proceed with caution,” he said. “As a general rule, I would say any time you use the word ‘chase’ or ‘pursuit,’ you have to look at it very carefully.”

Additional reporting by Ryan Croken.__

Statement from Public Safety

On Tuesday, Owen Redgrave, director of Public Safety, issued the following statement:

During the summer months of 2003 a number of office thefts occurred, primarily from Parrish Hall. A description of a possible suspect was developed after interviewing a number of victims and other witnesses. On Aug. 14, 2003, Public Safety responded to several reports from staff who believed this individual was in the Parrish and Kohlberg area.

The individual in question was located by a Public Safety Officer and asked to stop. The suspect fled on foot and eventually entered a vehicle parked on the upper campus. He was then observed striking two other vehicles in his attempt to flee. A short time later it was learned this individual was involved in a vehicle accident and as a result of the accident the suspect’s identity was determined. It has not yet been established, however, that he is responsible for the college’s thefts. Swarthmore Borough Police are investigating.

Additional reporting by Ryan Croken.

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