Four cars, one bicylist involved in a crash on Cramer and Linnwood in Milwaukee that resulted in fire

Four suspects are still on the run after University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Police say a driver struck a bicyclist, a car at an intersection and two parked cars during a police chase that ultimately caused three cars to catch fire, Thursday.

The fiery crash happened near N. Cramer Street and E. Linnwood Avenue, which is south of UWM's campus.

UWM Police said at 11:15 a.m. Thursday, they received a call regarding an attempted car theft in the surface parking lot of Cunningham Hall, the university's nursing school.

Police say responding officers discovered the suspects in a separate stolen Kia and began a pursuit.

While fleeing, the suspects struck a bicyclist on E. Oakland Avenue and continued driving.

While officers tended to the cyclist who sustained minor injuries, the suspects struck a vehicle at the intersection of N. Cramer Street and e. Linnwood Avenue.

The driver of the vehicle hit by the stolen Kia was not injured.

After the stolen Kia made impact with the car, the vehicle crashed into two parked cars forcing them to stack on top of the Kia.

The four suspects all fled on foot before all three cars went up in flames.

Alyssa Marceau, a UWM sophomore soccer player, lives on Cramer Street. She said she started filming the burning cars when she heard a louder than normal sound coming from outside.

"I was just lying on the couch, and at first I heard a huge crash of something. I thought maybe it was construction, and I felt the need to go check it out because it was louder than normal," Marceau said.

Marceau said she did not think the cars instantly caught on fire, but she said the flames began shortly after she walked out onto her porch.

"As the fire started to grow, you could hear continuous popping, which made it grow even more," Marceau said.

The Milwaukee Fire Department was on scene at 11:24 a.m. Thursday and cleared the scene just before 12:50 p.m.

UWM Police say all suspects are still at large and no arrests have been made.

Besides the cyclist, no injuries were reported among any pedestrians or drivers.

Car thefts in Milwaukee peaked in 2021 particularly among Kia and Hyundai vehicles. Both auto manufacturers have made improvements to the vehicles that make theft more difficult.

Milwaukee car thefts were down 24% from 2022 and 41% from 2021.

UWM Police have encouraged their campus community to report anything that seems suspicious to UWM Police Department. Call 414-229-9911 in an emergency, or the UWM Police non-emergency line, 414-229-4627, which is answered 24 hours a day.

Students and employees are encouraged to download the Rave Guardian app — a safety tool that connects users directly with UWM Police resources.