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PIP Police Officer Gabriel Roldan pulled back rather than pursue a black Hyundai Palisade whose driver recklessly swerved in and out of traffic to elude him just after noon on Monday, Jan. 23, Lt. Raymond E. Walter said.
Roldan tossed the information to PIP detectives, who traced a fictitious plate on the SUV to an Ocean Avenue address in Jersey City, the lieutenant said.
Further investigation found that the vehicle had been traveling along the PIP regularly, driven by a suspended motorist identified as 28-year-old city resident Urick Chris Baptiste.
Walter didn't say as much, but it appears Baptiste had posted an image of the Hyundai with black tinted windows on TikTok.
Patience paid off when PIPD Officer Kristie Dugan spotted the SUV pull off the PIP at Exit 4 and head south on Route 9W last Friday, Feb. 3, Walter said.
Dugan tried stopping Baptiste, who hit the gas instead, reaching a speed of 106 miles an hour in a 40 mph zone, the lieutenant said.
You can almost guess what happened next.
Heavy smoke began pouring from the engine and the vehicle quickly came to a stop, Walter said. Backup units converged at the scene and Baptiste was arrested.
Inside the SUV officers found a loaded 9mm ghost gun with a high-capacity magazine holding 26 hollow-point rounds, the lieutenant said. They also recovered a set of brass knuckles, he said.
Baptiste was charged with weapons manufacturing and other firearm-related counts, as well as eluding, tampering with public records, using a fake ID and driving while suspended.
He was sent to the Bergen County Jail, where a judge ordered that Baptiste remain pending further court action. He was still being held there on Tuesday, Tuesday, Feb. 7, records show.
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