A man swam across the Naugatuck River in Derby Wednesday in an attempt to elude police officers who were chasing him.
According to police, an officer in a patrol car spotted several men at the former Beard Concrete property off Main Street at about 11:15 a.m.
The men, thought to have broken into a building on the property, ran after seeing the police officer.
One of the men was spotted running in the area of the nearby Derby Greenway. At some point officers, from a distance, saw the suspect swimming across the river to Derby Avenue, where a bevy of officers were gathering.
Police ran along the shores of the Naugatuck River from the north and the south as the suspect darted in and out of the woods.
He was taken into custody about 15 minutes after first running away.
Nicholas Loar, 28, of Thomaston, was charged with third-degree burglary, possession of burglary tools, interfering with police and third-degree criminal mischief.
Lt. Sal Froscenco said two other people may have been with Loar. They were not captured Wednesday. The investigation continues.
Loar was being held at the Derby police station Wednesday afternoon on a $10,000 bond.
