10/10/17 Jersey City, NJ – Juveniles Steal State Department Of Treasury Van – Almost Hit Patrol Car – Chase – Crashes Into 3 Parked Vehicles

Jersey City, NJ – Juveniles Steal State Department Of Treasury Van – Almost Hit Patrol Car – Chase – Crashes Into 3 Parked Vehicles

October 10, 2017

nj.com

A group of teens in a stolen state-owned minivan led Jersey City police on a wild chase through the city late Monday night before two of the teens were caught ditching the vehicle, police said.

The chase started at Ocean Avenue and Forrest Street, traveled through the Bergen-Lafayette and Greenville neighborhoods before ending on Fowler Street, police said.

Along the way, the juveniles — in a state Department of the Treasury Dodge Caravan — struck three parked vehicles, lost a door, blew a tire, nearly struck a marked police cruiser and drove on the sidewalk for nearly a block of Bidwell Avenue, police said.

A 16-year-old from Newark and a 17-year-old from Carlstadt were charged with receiving stolen property, possession of burglar tools, eluding police and resisting arrest. Their names were not released because they are minors.

The teens were released to their parents and will be given a court date. Police believe the other teens in the minivan jumped out when police halted the pursuit.

It could not be immediately determined where the theft of the vehicle occurred.

When police first noticed the minivan — five or six juveniles in a marked state vehicle at 11:50 p.m. on a holiday (Columbus Day) raised their suspicions — they made a U-turn to follow it, the police report said.

Seeing the police cruiser make the U-turn, the juveniles turned east on Forrest, south on Clerk Street, west on Carteret Avenue, south on Ocean Avenue, then east against one-way traffic on Bidwell Avenue, where they drove on the sidewalk and struck a Honda, lost a door and then hit a BMW, the police report said.

When the stolen vehicle turned south on Garfield Avenue, police in pursuit saw the right rear tire was blown out and smoking, police said. As the minivan approached Cator Avenue, the pursuit was terminated, but police canvassed the area to keep an eye on the vehicle, the police report said.

The teens were seen going west on Cator, north on Ocean, west against one-way traffic on New Street and south on Rutgers Avenue, also against one-way traffic, police said.

Back on Cator Avenue, the minivan nearly struck a marked police car before heading north on Old Bergen Road. The vehicle was found on Fowler Avenue and it struck a Lincoln Town Car, police said.

The two teens fled, but were caught after brief chases, police said. Police found that the minivan’s ignition had been broken and a screwdriver, apparently used to start the engine, was discovered on the ground outside the vehicle, police said.

Back