Towamencin Police. Photo by Tony Di Domizio.
Towamencin suspect with lengthy criminal history nabbed after police allegedly found white Suzuki in question parked at Towamencin Condominiums
A Towamencin Township man with a lengthy criminal history has been charged by police, who alleged he fled a traffic stop in Towamencin and drove recklessly through two intersections before officers stopped pursuing for safety reasons.
The charges against Matthew Joseph Corliss, 42, of the 400 block of Bunker Hill Road, stem from an Oct. 25, 2025 incident in the area of Bustard Road and Adams Road. He is charged with felony fleeing police, misdemeanor counts of habitual offenders and driving with a suspended license, and summary counts of reckless driving, failure to yield when turning left, and failure to stop at a red light, according to charging documents.
Police were dispatched around 3:53 p.m. to Towamencin Condominiums, off Bustard Road, for a report of a domestic disturbance involving the defendant. While responding, an officer was advised over township radio that the man, alleged to be Corliss, was driving a white Suzuki sedan east on Adams Road and approaching Bustard Road. Police said they were already aware that Corliss’s license was suspended from previous incidents earlier in the year.
As an officer traveled south on Bustard Road, the driver of the Suzuki approached the stop sign at Adams Road and came to a stop. Police said Corliss then made a left turn onto Bustard Road “without providing sufficient clearance” for an oncoming vehicle, forcing that vehicle to brake abruptly to avoid a crash. The maneuver was described in the affidavit as “dangerous.”
Police activated emergency lights and siren to conduct a traffic stop. According to the complaint, Corliss passed the patrol vehicle heading north on Bustard Road and the officer made a U-turn to initiate the stop. Traffic was already stopped at the red signal at Bustard Road and Rittenhouse Road when the Suzuki approached, police said.
Police said Corliss then entered the oncoming traffic lane, passed several stopped vehicles, and drove through the red light, nearly striking a vehicle making a left turn from Rittenhouse Road onto Bustard Road.
The officer reported turning off emergency equipment and discontinuing pursuit due to safety concerns. The Suzuki continued northbound, passing the vehicle it had nearly collided with before leaving the officer’s view, according to the complaint.
The following day, police located the Suzuki parked in a nearby carport on Monroe Drive, a location they said Corliss had used previously to park vehicles. The car bore the same Pennsylvania registration and was registered to a family member, according to the affidavit.
Corliss is jailed on $5,077 cash bail, which includes a probation detainer. A preliminary hearing is set for Dec. 10 before Magisterial District Judge Ed Levine.
Corliss has a laundry list of criminal convictions, mainly for DUI and drug possession, in multiple counties, including Bucks and Delaware. He has been convicted nearly 14 times since 1992, with the majority of convictions occurring within the past three years across three counties.
He was convicted in December 2023 in Montgomery County for misdemeanor fleeing from police and received 113 days of time served to 23 months, per court records.
In Chester County, Corliss was convicted of:
In March 2023, he was sentenced to one year of probation in Bucks County court.
Corliss has been convicted numerous times in Montgomery County court:
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using public court records.
Editor's Note: The story incorrectly identified the defendant as having a conviction in January 1993.
