Rider caught after 100 mph chase on motorcycle on Route 422 in Berks
Former Birdsboro man among group of motorcyclists, wearing Pagans attire, that rumbled through Reading on Saturday afternoon.
By STEVEN HENSHAW | shenshaw@readingeagle.com | Reading Eagle May 27, 2025
Rider caught after 100 mph chase on motorcycle on Route 422 in Berks
A former Birdsboro man with a recent criminal conviction is back in Berks County Jail after Reading police said he led an officer on a high-speed chase on Route 422 over the weekend while wearing a jacket with the Pagans’ logo.
John E. Lutz IV, 34, was jailed in lieu of $25,000 bail after arraignment Saturday night before District Judge Eric J. Taylor in Reading Central Court. Lutz, who has no permanent address, faces charges of fleeing or attempting to elude an officer, flight to avoid apprehension or punishment, driving under a suspended license and driving an unregistered vehicle.
According to court records:
Officer William Fursin III received an alert for a wanted person heading east on Route 422 from Sinking Spring. The information was that he was riding a red Harley-Davidson with a license plate that expired in 2020 and was assigned to a Kawasaki.
Fursin took a position on a West Shore Bypass grass patch just east of the Lancaster Avenue exit.
About 10 minutes later, a group of about 10 motorcyclists wearing Pagans’ jackets went past.
Fursin pulled out and began to catch up to the group. He saw the red Harley described in the alert near the head of the pack.
The officer turned on his emergency lights and siren, but the group did not stop, instead continuing to travel east into Cumru Township. There the bikes started to coast to a stop, with members signaling to each other to pull over.
Everyone but the rider of the red Harley, later identified as Lutz, came to a stop along the shoulder. Lutz sped off.
Fursin swerved past the group and pursued Lutz at speeds approaching 100 mph. Lutz continued into Exeter Township.
He pulled onto the exit ramp for East Neversink Road. As the motorcycle slowed, the rear tire began to bounce and Lutz lost control, hitting the small barrier at the end of the ramp.
Lutz fell off the bike and began to pick it up.
Fursin exited his vehicle and ran up to Lutz. Ordering Lutz to the ground, he threw the suspect onto his stomach when he didn’t immediately comply.
A criminal check on Lutz showed he was wanted on a probation violation for making terrorist threats and fighting. In February, he pleaded guilty to those charges, which were filed in 2022 by state police in Reading.
He was sentenced by Berks County Judge Thomas G. Parisi to three to 12 months in the county jail and was ordered to undergo anger management counseling among other probation conditions.
The license plate on his motorcycle — the one that drew the attention of police in the first place — belonged to another motorcycle owner who was wanted for failing to appear for court in a DUI case.
Originally Published: May 27, 2025
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