Man in stolen beer truck leads Rhode Island cops on very slow-speed chase, officers say
A man jumped in a beer delivery truck and drove off, leading Rhode Island officers on a slow-speed chase as they pursued the stolen vehicle, according to police.
Was he simply thirsty or trying to acquire the bottles and kegs inside for a party? Authorities didn’t specify a motive.
Whatever plans Jeremy Fellela, 44, had in mind were thwarted when he crashed the truck into a utility pole on Dec. 13 in Providence as police followed behind, police Cmdr. Thomas Verdi told WPRI.
McClatchy News has reached out to police for comment.
The truck was parked outside a local liquor store for a delivery, and Fellela of Cranston is accused of jumping in and driving away with the loading door open, according to WLNE.
As police followed, video shared by KCTV5 shows the truck moving extremely slow as Fellela drove roughly 10 to 15 mph.
After hitting the utility pole, police pulled Fellela out of the truck, witness Greg Johnson told WPRI.
“You know, if you need beer … come to me, I’ll buy you beer. You don’t need to steal a truck,” Johnson said.
Fellela was charged with eluding police, possession of a stolen motor vehicle and refusing a chemical test, WLNE reported.
He appeared in court the morning of Dec. 14 and was ordered to return to court on April 4, 2022, as well as monitoring for substance abuse, according to The Providence Journal.
Fellela already faces four counts of bank fraud in another case, the outlet reported.
This story was originally published December 14, 2021 at 7:40 PM with the headline "Man in stolen beer truck leads Rhode Island cops on very slow-speed chase, officers say."
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