Two men were taken into custody after a fight on the Blue Route sent police into nearby Main Line communities Sunday evening.
RADNOR TOWNSHIP, PA — Two men were taken into custody Sunday after a stabbing on Interstate 476 led to a police pursuit, a crash involving a Lower Merion police officer and a precautionary lockdown at Villanova University, according to police and local officials.
The incident began around 5:35 p.m. Sept. 6 on southbound I-476, known locally as the Blue Route, near Exit 13 in the Lower Merion and Radnor Township area. Law enforcement sources said a fight followed a roadway incident and one man was stabbed. The victim was taken to a hospital with serious injuries. Authorities had not publicly identified the victim early Monday or provided a more detailed update on the person’s condition.
Police said the man accused in the stabbing left the interstate in a U-Haul truck, prompting a pursuit involving Pennsylvania State Police and local officers. The pursuit moved toward the Main Line communities near Villanova, Bryn Mawr and Rosemont. Authorities eventually located the truck around Lancaster Avenue and County Line Road. Reports differed on some details of how the search unfolded after the vehicle stopped, but police said the search continued on foot in the surrounding area.
During the response, a Lower Merion Township police officer was involved in a vehicle crash near West Montgomery Avenue and Pennswood Road. Montgomery County public safety records show a vehicle accident was dispatched there at 5:41 p.m., minutes after an emergency medical call for a stabbing on the Blue Route. Police said the officer was taken to a hospital for evaluation. Officials had not released additional information about the officer’s condition.
As officers searched the area, Villanova University issued a lockdown alert at about 6:10 p.m. because the police activity was close to campus. The university described the action as a precautionary measure while authorities searched near Lancaster Avenue and County Line Road. The lockdown was lifted at 6:41 p.m. after police reported that a person sought in connection with the stabbing had been apprehended off campus.
Radnor Township police said officers assisting state police located a suspect in the 1000 block of East Lancaster Avenue and took that person into custody without incident. Other local reporting said one of the men was captured at nearby Unkefer Park. Police also recovered a discarded knife during the search, according to reports citing investigators. Authorities had not publicly detailed where the weapon was found or announced whether it had been formally linked to the stabbing.
A second man also was taken into custody. Authorities had not released the identities of either man or explained what role the second person allegedly played in the events. No criminal charges had been publicly announced early Monday, and police had not established a motive. Investigators were working to determine what caused the confrontation on the interstate.
The search also affected Bryn Mawr Hospital, which was placed under a lockdown during the police activity, according to local reporting. Officials said the restrictions there and at Villanova were lifted after the arrests. Radnor Township police said there was no continuing threat to the surrounding community once the search ended.
Pennsylvania State Police are leading the investigation into the stabbing and the events on I-476. Authorities had not released the names of those in custody, possible charges or a detailed account of the initial dispute as of early Monday. Additional information is expected from state police as the investigation continues.
Author note: Last updated September 7, 2026.