Man Claims Wife Held Hostage During Standoff With Police In Chester County

UWCHLAN TOWNSHIP, PA — A man suffering from mental health issues claimed his wife was being held hostage by two armed intruders in their Uwchlan Township home on Wednesday morning, leading to a lengthy standoff situation with local police and SWAT teams. Careful work by authorities ensured that no one was injured during the standoff.

The incident began at around 8:05 a.m. on the 1000 block of Welsh Ayres Way in the township.

Police said that the man called and said that he was trapped in one room of the home, while his wife was behind held against her will in different part of the house.

Police arrived and established a perimeter. The West Chester Regional Emergency Response Team - SWAT - was called to the scene as well.

Police made contact with the man, who was standing at an opened second story window. He spoke to police for around two hours, maintaining that the armed men were holding his wife hostage, authorities said.

After around two hours, the man's wife walked out of the front door of the home, unharmed.

Shortly thereafter, the man threw a handgun out of the window, police said.

SWAT team members used a ladder to get the man from the home, and searched the house. No other intruders were found, police determined they had never existed.

Numerous departments assisted on the scene, police said, including the Upper Uwchlan Township Police Department, the West Pikeland Township Police Department, the West Vincent Township Police Department, the Downingtown Borough Police Department and the Pennsylvania State Police, out of the Embreeville Barracks. The Uwchlan Ambulance Corp, the Lionville Fire Company, and the Comm One Communication Unit from the Department of Emergency Services all assisted as well.

Patch file photo