By Dennis Romero -
NBC News
Police on Monday praised a pizza delivery man who tripped a suspect fleeing authorities in Pennsylvania, but warned it was a dangerous move that should not be emulated.
Agents were chasing a stolen vehicle Sunday afternoon in Brookhaven, a town about 20 minutes southwest of Philadelphia, when the car came to a screeching halt in front of a house where the delivery man, who only wanted to reveal his name, Tyler, he was about to deliver some pizzas, according to local police.
Video from home surveillance cameras obtained by local Philadelphia station NBC News captured a voice saying, "That's a high-speed chase."
The suspect, whom police only identified as a 17-year-old, ran toward the delivery man, who had little range of motion because his hands were full carrying pizzas.
The delivery man, however, made a leg movement that caused the young man to fall and allowed the agents to reach him.
[Dramatic police chase for stolen pickup truck spans three Los Angeles counties]
Officers ordered the suspect to the ground, after he got back up.
"Idiot," someone is heard saying in the video.
"Thanks for the help!!!" Brookhaven police said on their Facebook social network account.
"If you're interested in a job, we're always looking for good people," she added.
The delivery man's employer also complimented his behavior, noting that he had not only helped authorities arrest a suspect but also "delivered the food intact."
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But police have warned citizens not to get involved in potentially dangerous situations when there is a suspect on the run from authorities.
“In all seriousness, we ask people not to intervene,” Police Chief Michael Vice said, according to the local NBC station in Philadelphia.
“We want to let the police handle it.
But, in this case, it worked,” he acknowledged.
The dealer resists being considered a hero.
"Honestly, I think I did what anyone else would do," he said, "people think I did something extraordinary, I don't. I think I just did what you're supposed to do in a situation like that," he said.