A Montgomery County jury convicted a Camden, N.J., man who led state police on a 130-mph chase down I-476 with his headlights off.

Lewys J. "Jose" Santana-Pichardo, 22, was found guilty of carrying a firearm without a license, possessing a prohibited offensive weapon, possessing an instrument of crime, fleeing or attempting to elude police and recklessly endangering other persons, The Reporter reported. The charges stem from a July 3, 2025, incident that began on the Blue Route in Worcester Township and ended at the Ben Franklin Bridge in Philadelphia. I-476 runs through Plymouth Township, a corridor familiar to local commuters.

Judge William R. Carpenter also convicted Santana-Pichardo of several summary traffic violations, including reckless driving, careless driving and speeding. Carpenter remanded him to the Montgomery County jail without bail and deferred sentencing pending a background investigation.

The chase began around 3:30 a.m. on July 3, 2025. State police at Skippack, patrolling southbound I-476 in Worcester Township, spotted a Honda sedan with tinted windows and a tinted license plate cover traveling at a high rate of speed.

When troopers activated their lights and sirens, Santana-Pichardo "immediately turned off all exterior lights in order to avoid police apprehension and to conceal the identity of the Honda and the occupants inside," Trooper Jarred Burnett alleged in the arrest affidavit filed after the July 2025 incident.

Santana-Pichardo then reached speeds exceeding 130 mph on I-476, according to Burnett's affidavit. The Honda continued into Delaware County and north on I-95 into Philadelphia, maintaining speeds above 110 mph with no lights on, according to court documents.

A patrol unit ended the pursuit near 6th and Race streets in Philadelphia, using a Precision Immobilization Technique (PIT maneuver) to disable the Honda on the Ben Franklin Bridge on-ramp. Two passengers were also in the vehicle.

Inside the car, police found a Glock 19 9mm handgun equipped with a "switch," a device that can convert certain semi-automatic handguns into fully automatic weapons. The gun held a 30-round extended magazine loaded with six rounds. Officers also found marijuana and drug paraphernalia.

The jury acquitted Santana-Pichardo of marijuana possession and drug paraphernalia charges.

Glock switches are federally classified as machine guns, but Pennsylvania has no corresponding state-level ban. State Sen. Christine Tartaglione, a Philadelphia Democrat, introduced Senate Bill 1449 on Sept. 9 to prohibit the devices statewide.

Assistant District Attorney Courtney McMonagle prosecuted the case. Defense attorney Prince Charles Yakubu represented Santana-Pichardo. No sentencing date has been set.