A State Police trooper has died following a shootout last night with a man fleeing from police after kidnapping his son.

The suspect was shot and killed at the scene following a 40-mile pursuit, according to State Police at Swiftwater.

State Police Trooper Joshua Miller, 34, died at Lehigh Valley Hospital after being flown by helicopter from the scene of the shooting, on Route 611 in Tobyhanna. The suspect’s name has not been released, pending notification of next of kin.

The second injured trooper, Robert Lombardo, 35, was flown to Community Medical Center in Scranton where he is being treated for gunshot injuries but is considered in satisfactory condition, police said. The suspect was pronounced dead at the scene by the Monroe County Coroner’s Office.

Both troopers are members of the Swiftwater State Police Barracks unit.

What began in Nazareth with a protection from abuse violation ended less than an hour later with two men dead from gunshot wounds.

According to State Police at Swiftwater, Nazareth police officers responded to a PFA violation involving a weapon around 7:45 p.m. The suspect in that incident fled from the scene with his 9-year-old son. Nazareth police saw the suspect’s car and began to pursue him.

The suspect led police on a chase through Northampton and Monroe counties, speeding up Route 191, Route 447 and Route 611 past Mount Pocono – where Pocono Mountain Regional Police joined the chase.

The car was stopped “utilizing police intervention” at about 8:35, north of Route 423 in Coolbaugh Township. When the troopers approached the car, police and the suspect exchanged gunfire with bullets hitting the two troopers and the suspect.

According to Pocono Mountain Regional Police Chief Harry Lewis, the child was taken safely from the car and was not shot.

State Police are continuing to investigate the circumstances of the shooting and the chase.

(Source: Pocono Record / YWN-112)