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Police were chasing a 2014 Dodge Durango reported stolen out of Weehawken when it veered off the road and slammed into an evergreen in the front yard of a home where Moonachie Road bends into Liberty Street.
The impact left the tree bent at a precarious angle.
Two juveniles were quickly seized after the crash around 12:30 a.m. Wednesday, May 3.
Little Ferry Police K9 Timmy and Lt. John Andronaco found the third hiding behind a shed on nearby Verlock Drive a short time later.
The three youths -- two of them 17 and one 16, all from Jersey City -- were taken to Hackensack University Medical Center with various injuries sustained in the crash.
They were all then released to a parent or guardian, Secaucus Police Chief Dennis Miller saidl\
Miller noted that one of them had been released after police in Fort Lee chased him down and issued him delinquency complaints for eluding police and receiving stolen property, among other offenses, on April 16.
This overnight pursuit began where Meadowlands Parkway meets westbound Route 3 shortly after 12:30 a.m. Wednesday, the chief said.
A check of the speeding Durango's registration by Secaucus Police Officers Justin Machno and Jaden Gonzalez showed it had been reported stolen hours earlier, Miller said.
The officers tried to stop the vehicle, but the driver hit the gas and raced west on Route 3 at more than 80 miles an hour, hesaid.
They pursued the Durango onto northbound Route 120, which becomes Washington Avenue and then Moonachie Road.
The officers briefly lost sight of the SUV as it rounded the curve where it ended up crashing, Miller said.
Police from Carlstadt, East Rutherford, Moonachie and South Hackensack, along with officers from the Bergen County Sheriff's Office, helped their Little Ferry and Secaucus colleagues set a perimeter after the trio bolted.
The Little Ferry First Aid Corps responded, as did rigs from HUMC and Holy Name Medical Center in Teaneck.
Little Ferry firefighters doused a smoking engine.
A&D Towing coincidentally is right next door, but Tumino's Towing ended up removing the Durango.
Miller, the Secaucus police chief, issued a statement late Wednesday afternoon:
“I support my officers’ decisions here, as they acted within the confines of the pursuit policy, but let’s be clear, the injuries sustained by these juveniles were a direct result of their delinquent behavior. Most car thieves, regardless of age, are recidivist offenders who will continue to commit crimes until our criminal justice system holds them accountable. I want to explicitly thank the East Rutherford, Carlstadt, Moonachie and Little Ferry Police Departments for their assistance.”
Jo Fehl took the photos and contributed significantly to this report.
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