A Utah Highway Patrol trooper clocked two vehicles heading east on Interstate 80 at 115 mph between Summit Park and Jeremy Ranch Dec. 18.
UHP Sgt. Cameron Roden says troopers chased the two racing vehicles, a black sports car and an orange one, toward Kimball Junction. They said speeds reached 130 mph.
Authorities radioed ahead about setting up spike strips farther down I-80.
But then the racers turned off their lights, and troopers lost them before Kimball Junction around 10:30 p.m.
Authorities continued a few miles east on I-80 before terminating the pursuit. The racers disappeared for over three hours.
Then just before 2 a.m., the same trooper who’d been at Parleys Summit saw the orange car headed north on U.S. Highway 40—again going nearly 130 mph.
This time the driver stopped. The trooper pulled him over on Highland Drive.
The driver admitted he was going 100 mph, and his four passengers told the trooper they’d done some “really dumb stuff tonight.”
He told authorities he’d driven up from Salt Lake City earlier that night to go to a bar on Main Street but denied running from authorities.
Summit County deputies booked him on multiple charges, including failure to stop, reckless driving, street racing and driving on bald tires. The most severe charge is a third degree felony.
Troopers say the 22-year-old driver has been living in the Park City area for several years and doesn’t have a valid Utah driver license.
The suspect is being held without bail in the Summit County jail.
Charges have not yet been filed.
