Police chases lead to crashes, one injured in Amsterdam and one dead in Gelderland

Two separate police chases in the Netherlands resulted in crashes late Tuesday and early Wednesday, with one person seriously injured in Amsterdam and another killed in Gelderland.

The incident in the capital took place shortly after midnight on Borneolaan in Amsterdam-Oost, where a person was struck by a vehicle during what was described by witnesses as a police pursuit. Police have not confirmed if an officer was involved in the chase but are investigating the possibility.

Two witnesses told local news outlet AT5 that the crash occurred while a suspect was being chased by a police officer on a motorcycle. One witness claimed that the victim was not the target of the chase, but had crossed the street during the pursuit.

The injured person was taken to the hospital, and the area was cordoned off for investigation. A police spokesperson referred to the incident as a "traffic accident involving a potential police vehicle." During the restless New Year's Eve period, an NL Times reporter also observed police officers on racing through the city's eastern district on motorcycles, sometimes in the opposite direction on one-way streets.

In a separate incident, a police pursuit led to a fatal crash in Rekken, Gelderland, with two others injured. According to local newspaper Tubantia, the 46-year-old driver from Aalten had tested positive for amphetamines and THC during a saliva test at about 5:30 p.m. on Kruiskamplaan in Eibergen.

He then fled, leading police on a wild chase at high speeds, sometimes weaving into oncoming traffic. He eventually collided head-on into a tree, dying almost instantly. His identity has not been released.

That crash took place at around 5:45 p.m. on Tuesday on Rekkenseweg. Two other occupants were transported with injuries to a hospital in Enschede

Investigations into the cause of the crash are ongoing.