Blake Willis, 19, of Lansford, was sent to Schuylkill County Prison on charges that he stole a motorcycle and attempted to flee from Tamaqua police on Sunday.

According to police, the incident began just before 4 p.m. when an officer saw a black motorcycle without a visible registration being driven on Schuylkill Avenue.

Officers followed the driver, later identified as Willis, who drove through several stop signs without stopping. When officers confirmed that there was no license plate, they activated lights and sirens to initiate a traffic stop. Willis fled on the bike, driving onto Mauch Chunk Street and eventually onto Route 309 and Owl Creek Road.

Police said Willis was traveling at around 65 mph and crashed after hitting a hump near 261 Owl Creek Rd. When the bike came to a rest, police said Willis ran to a property where scrap vehicles and trailers are stored. Police said they lost sight of him.

Officers then checked the motorcycle and learned it belonged to a Philadelphia man. Officers said the registration was hidden and the VIN number was obliterated. Police then learned the motorcycle was reported stolen from Telford on June 15.

The department then received a call about a “suspicious” person in the area of Owl Creek Road. The description matched that of Willis, police said. The caller said the man got into the driver’s side of a Chrysler.

Just before 7 p.m., Tamaqua police located the vehicle in the area of West White Bear and Laurel drives. Police stopped the vehicle and found Willis sitting in the back. He had “road rash” on his skin and holes in his clothing.

Officers spoke to the driver, who said he saw the man on the side of the roadway and believed he needed help. A female passenger said she and the man were out to eat when they saw Willis walking and agreed to give him a ride to his home in Lansford. Both denied ever seeing him before.

After being treated at St. Luke’s Miners campus in Coaldale, Willis was returned to police custody and arraigned on 14 charges, including theft by unlawful taking, receiving stolen property and fleeing from officers. Tamaqua Magisterial District Judge Stephen Bayer set percentage bail at $25,000. He was unable to post and was committed to jail.