TEBRO/HASBROUCK HEIGHTS, NJ – After crashing into several vehicles in Hasbrouck Heights and leading Borough police on a brief pursuit that ended in Teterboro, a driver from East Orange was charged with multiple offences.
Hasbrouck Heights Lieutenant John Behr said that at around 11:00 p.m. on January 20, officers responded to multiple 9-1-1 calls reporting a serious accident at the corner of Williams and Burton avenues, as well as Williams and Stanley avenues.
Officers John Cambridge and James Ciccarelli were the first on the scene, and they reported that a female driver in a black Dodge Challenger had crashed into several parked cars, possibly injuring herself.
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The vehicle’s driver took off eastbound on Stanley Street, heading for Terrace Avenue. The collision apparently caused smoke to emanate from the car as well.
Just after it entered Route 46 East, Detective Nicholas Brunetti spotted the black Dodge Challenger. According to Detective Brunetti, the vehicle matched the one described by Officer Cambridge, right down to the blown out front tyre and significant front end damage.
When Detective Brunetti finally caught up with the car on Green Street in Teterboro, he turned on his emergency lights and sirens. But the driver kept going and didn’t even slow down.
Brunetti reported that despite the car’s low speed due to damage, the pursuit continued because the driver was still considered a danger to the public and Brunetti.
A short while later, the car drove into the Green Street Amazon parking lot. In an effort to avoid getting stuck, the driver attempted to drive over a curb. After that, other officers from the HHPD, as well as those from Moonachie and South Hackensack, joined Brunetti.
The driver ignored the police officers’ verbal orders to stop the car and get out. For the next 10 minutes, the driver pressed the accelerator, burning the rubber off the tyres and producing a thick plume of smoke as an attempt to free the vehicle from the curb. The police officers didn’t get too close to the car.
The driver eventually got out of the car on her own and was taken into custody. After the initial collision, emergency medical services were called to the scene to treat the driver. The officer took the driver to Hackensack UMC where he will remain in custody.
Due to the extent of the damage and an HHFD response for fluid spills, the parked vehicles from the initial crash were towed.
Janeal Martin, 41, of East Orange, New Jersey, was charged with the following and released pending a mandatory court date.
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Intoxicated driving, reckless driving, failing to stop at the scene of an accident, not reporting an accident, not having liability insurance, disobeying a traffic control device, and not giving way to emergency vehicles are all violations of traffic law.
To flee from law enforcement in a motor vehicle and to obstruct an officer are both crimes.
