UPDATED: Burglary Suspects Lead Police on High-Speed Chase With Children in Car

A Danvers couple was charged with burglarizing a Woburn home and then leading police in a chase through two communities – with their five young children in the car.

Woburn Police responded to Mayflower Road at about 5:30 p.m. Friday concerning a suspicious man seen walking around a house. Officers found a basement window was open and they discovered a man inside the home. The man ran upstairs and fled the house.

Officers ordered the man to the ground, but he struggled, swung his arms at police and ran toward Lexington Street. He jumped into a minivan that was waiting for him and sped away.

While running to his vehicle, police said, the man reached into his pocket and threw a metallic item on a ground, which police later discovered was a TV remote control from the burglarized home. The man moved the TV and police believe he was going to steal the TV and remote control.

Concerned that the suspect might have a weapon, police slowed their pursuit briefly.

The vehicle reached speeds up to 75 miles per hour down streets in Woburn and Lexington as police followed in pursuit.

The driver finally stopped in Lexington and Woburn and Lexington Police surrounded the vehicle.

They arrested the driver, who was identified as Salina J. Pasquarello, 26, of Danvers, and her husband, Ralph M. Pasquarello, 39, of Danvers. 

The male suspect was charged with felony breaking and entering into a building during the daytime, felony vandalism, felony larceny from a building, felony theft, five counts of child endangerment with risk of serious bodily injury, two counts of resisting arrest, two counts of assault and battery on a police officer and failing to stop for police.

The female was charged with felony breaking and entering into a building during the daytime, felony larceny from a building, felony theft, five counts of child endangerment with risk of serious bodily injury, failing to stop for police, negligent operation of a motor vehicle and failing to stop for police. She was released on bail late Friday. 

Police also found five young children all under the age of 7 inside the vehicle. 

The children were taken to Woburn Police Headquarters and the Department of Children and Families was notified.

The DCF has turned the children over to their mother and maternal grandmother.

Police Chief Robert J. Ferullo Jr. called the incident “deeply disturbing.”

"This is a deeply disturbing case that we allege involves a husband and wife committing felonies, with the wife driving a getaway car packed with their young children," Chief Ferullo said. "These suspects clearly showed reckless disregard for the well being of their children, especially as the mother sped away from police and nearly crashed into several cars before she was caught. This day could have ended much, much worse, and we are just grateful that these children were not injured."