EXCLUSIVE: Police swamped Maldon after cross border car chase involving vehicle stolen in Thames Valley

Police who descended on Maldon yesterday were in pursuit of a suspected stolen vehicle from the Thames valley area, Essex News and Investigations can reveal.

Police today confirmed the activity, which involved large numbers of police vehicles and dog units on Friday, February 21 2025, was in response to a cross county car chase after the vehicle in question pinged an ANPR reader.

Before the car entered Essex, it was being pursued by the Met Police.

Essex News and Investigations saw a police dog unit and unmarked car, both on blue lights, heading north-east up the A12 in the Brentwood area at just after 4pm yesterday.

We then saw a police helicopter, that serves the Met Police area, heading in the same direction, from Noak Hill, near Romford.

We tracked the helicopter's route via an app and it headed to Chelmsford, where it circled for several minutes.

The chase then continued to the Maldon area, where the suspect driver "ran out of road," before a foot pursuit, involving search dogs started at around 5pm.

One witness said she had never seen so many "police vehicles, vans and dog units flying around the town."

This view was echoed on local Facebook groups with some posters saying they believed they were hunting "someone on foot" and that exits to some roads "had been blocked."

A female officer with a dog was seen doing a search in Park Drive, (main image) near the Promenade (below).

The vehicle was later abandoned and the suspect made off on foot.

An Essex Police spokesman said: "We were alerted by a neighbouring police force to a vehicle which had been reported as stolen and was believed to be in the Essex area.

"Roads policing officers were able to locate the vehicle in Maldon without any occupants.

"A widespread search of the area was carried out by officers, but no suspect was located.

"Additional work then helped to identify a person of interest and that information is being progressed alongside officers in the force which is investigating the initial vehicle theft."

It is not clear when the vehicle is believed to have been stolen. Thames Valley Police, the Met Police and the National Air Police Service have been contacted for comment.

Earlier in the day, at about 2.45pm, the Essex Air Ambulance landed in a field off Limebrook Way and Fambridge Road, to treat a patient. The two incidents were unconnected and the ambulance trust has been contacted for comment.

Essex News and Investigations is an independent news provider that has brought you this story over two days.

The traditional local news outlets for Maldon have yet to cover it.