According to court documents filed by the Orwigsburg Police Department, the incident occurred on Monday, March 2, 2026, around 4:21 p.m., when an officer observed a black dirt bike traveling south on North Washington Street.
Police say the dirt bike did not have a registration plate, prompting the officer to attempt a traffic stop.
As the officer turned around to follow the bike, the rider continued traveling south toward the intersection of North Washington and East Market Streets, allegedly weaving through traffic and failing to stop.
The rider then turned onto East Market Street, where police activated emergency lights and sirens in an attempt to stop the vehicle. According to the affidavit, the driver failed to stop and accelerated, continuing east on Market Street at a high rate of speed.
Police say the dirt bike passed several vehicles and continued through the area of Brick Hill Road and Pine Road, eventually traveling north onto Route 61, where it allegedly continued fleeing at high speed.
During the pursuit, the rider reportedly failed to stop at a steady red signal, drove in the shoulder area marked with a striped “no travel” zone, and failed to yield to the emergency vehicle.
The officer reported that he was able to observe the rider wearing white sneakers, blue jeans, a black hoodie, and a black helmet.
Later, while returning to the police station, the officer was contacted by a passerby who reported seeing a man place the dirt bike into a storage shed at Sunrise Storage on Centre Turnpike in Orwigsburg before being picked up by a red Dodge minivan driven by a female.
Police responded to the area and soon located a red Dodge minivan matching the description. A traffic stop was conducted, and police identified the passenger as Seamus Joseph McNicholl, 25, of Coaldale.
According to police, McNicholl admitted he was the rider of the dirt bike and that he fled because there was no registration plate on the bike and his driver’s license was suspended.
Orwigsburg Police filed the charges below on Tuesday, March 10th, 2026:
- Fleeing or Attempting to Elude a Police Officer (Felony 3)
- Improper Display of Plate
- Driving While Operating Privilege Suspended or Revoked
- Failure to Yield to an Emergency Vehicle
- Reckless Driving
- Failure to Stop at a Red Signal
- Additional traffic violations.
As of this posting, McNicholl was not arraigned on the charges.