A stolen-car pursuit in Aurora, Colorado, ended with one suspect near a bounce house and another hiding underneath a truck after police stopped chasing the vehicle when it began traveling the wrong way.
The Aurora Police Department said officers were alerted shortly before 7 p.m. Saturday to a stolen vehicle near East 17th Avenue and Dayton Street. Officers tried to stop it, but the driver kept going.
The pursuit continued through Aurora and onto Interstate 70 until officers terminated it after the vehicle entered opposing lanes of traffic. Losing the patrol cars did not end the pursuit entirely.
Aurora’s Real Time Information Center continued to follow the vehicle with a drone as it entered a Denver neighborhood. Both occupants eventually abandoned the car — and wound up at somebody else’s birthday party.
Party Crashers
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Talk about crashing a party…
Saturday evening ended up being a busy one for our District One/north officers.
Just before 7 p.m., officers were alerted to a Flock hit for a stolen vehicle at 17th and Dayton.A tale as old as time: We attempted a traffic stop, the vehicle did not stop.
This led to a pursuit through our city and onto I-70. The pursuit was terminated after the vehicle began traveling in the opposite lanes of traffic.
But they weren’t off the hook yet.
That’s when our Real Time Information Center stepped in.
We continued tracking the vehicle using drone technology as it traveled into a Denver neighborhood.
They bailed on the car and crashed a birthday party at the same time…
The driver took off, but the passenger decided to stay for the festivities and bounce house. We RSVP’d and met her there.
The driver was found hiding under a truck at a nearby residence.
Both were taken into custody without further incident.Inside the vehicle officers recovered two handguns, one of which was stolen and drug paraphernalia.
The duo is facing charges including motor vehicle theft in the third degree, vehicular eluding, criminal possession of an identification document and first-degree criminal trespass, theft and possession of drug paraphernalia.
You can flee, drive the wrong way, crash the party or hide under a truck, but you can’t hide from APD. We find our suspects, always.
[Media Description: Body camera, drone and dash camera footage of pursuit and arrests.]
— Aurora Police Dept (@AuroraPD) September 15, 2026
Police said the driver ran from the party while the passenger stayed behind near the bounce house.
Officers caught up with the passenger there. The driver made it a little farther before officers found him hiding beneath a truck at a nearby home.
Both were arrested without further incident, according to the department.
Police said officers searched the stolen vehicle and recovered two handguns. One of the guns had also been reported stolen. Drug paraphernalia was found inside as well.
Eyes Overhead
The unusual ending also showed how Aurora kept following the vehicle after officers decided the road pursuit had become too dangerous to continue.
The city’s Real Time Information Center combines automated license plate readers, city cameras and drones to give police real-time information during active incidents. Aurora launched the center in 2025 and says its drone program can provide officers with an overhead view while aircraft are remotely operated from the center.
In Saturday’s case, police said the initial alert came from a Flock license-plate reader before the drone later tracked the fleeing vehicle into Denver.
Charges Follow
Aurora Police did not identify the two people arrested or specify which allegations apply to each person.
The department said the pair face charges that include third-degree motor vehicle theft, vehicular eluding, criminal possession of an identification document, first-degree criminal trespass, theft and possession of drug paraphernalia.
The charges are allegations, and both people are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.