Police Chase Down Suspect in Middle of the Night

Early today, June 28, Swampscott police charged a suspect with breaking into a car and receiving a stolen motor vehicle.

They arrested a second man on warrants, said Swampscott police Det. Tim Cassidy.

Shortly before 3 a.m., Swampscott Police received a call from the resident of 103  Burpee Road. The caller was awakened by noise near his vehicles in his driveway, police said.

The man checked on the noise and saw a dark-skinned man wearing a hooded sweatshirt and baseball cap inside his vehicle. The resident called police then went outside to confront the suspect, police said. 

The suspect fled.  During their search, officers stopped a person fitting the description of the suspect.

The man, Erick Guerrero, 39, of 65 Mount Pleasant St., Apt. 2, Lynn was ruled out as the person in the vehicle but was arrested on an outstanding warrant from Peabody District court for heroin possession, police said. 

A short time later, Swampscott police Sgt. Dave Skomurski saw a vehicle with the headlights off in the area of the car break.

The sergeant stopped the vehicle — which was later determined to be stolen out of Lynn — and as he exited the cruiser the operator ran into the woods.

Officers Tom Lucas, Kevin Reen and Todd Pierce helped search for the suspect. After about 90 minutes police stopped a dark-skinned man coming out of a driveway at 63 Buena Vista St. He was soaking wet and dirty, police said. 

He was identified as Jonathan Phillips, 21, of 1 Essex St., Lynn.

The resident of 103 Burpee identified Phillips as the person who was inside his vehicle, police said. 

Phillips was charged with resisting arrest, disorderly conduct, breaking and entering to a motor vehicle, disturbing the peace and receiving a stolen motor vehicle.

Information for this story came from Swampscott police.