Intoxicated man accused of leading police on 100 mph chase in Westmoreland, Fayette counties

An Allegheny County man is accused of leading state police on a 100 mph chase in Westmoreland and Fayette counties Sunday night before crashing, according to court papers.

Troopers said Nicholas Haluschak, 40, of Dravosburg, was under the influence of drugs at the time and had $1,500 and a loaded pistol in his car. He was pulled by police from the wreckage and arrested. He is being held on $100,000 bail at the Westmoreland County Prison.

While on patrol on Route 51 in Rostraver just before 8 p.m., troopers noticed a Honda Accord weaving on the northbound side of the highway, crossing over the center line and braking for no reason, according to court papers. During a traffic stop near the Interstate 70 interchange, police said Haluschak appeared intoxicated and reached into a backpack on the passenger seat.

He shifted gears, said “sorry, Bud, I gotta go” to the trooper and took off south into Fayette County, police said in court papers. During the nearly 7-mile chase, Haluschak repeatedly drove off the road while traveling 100 mph until turning onto Tony Row Road in Star Junction, according to court papers. Haluschak crashed after driving 75 mph for a short distance on that road, police said.

Investigators found drugs, the pistol and ammunition inside the car. As he was being taken to Uniontown Hospital, Haluschak said he “should have shot” the trooper who pulled him over, according to court papers.

He is charged with numerous offenses, including drug possession, driving under the influence, flight to avoid apprehension and weapons violations. Haluschak did not have an attorney listed in online court records. A Dec. 14 preliminary hearing is set.

He has been the defendant in numerous criminal cases in the area dating back to 2004, according to online court records. Haluschak is awaiting arraignment on an August 2019 drug case in Pitcairn. He was sentenced in 2015 to three to six years in a state prison on a Fayette County burglary charge and was paroled in 2018, according to court and Department of Corrections records.