Passaic Sheriff: Paterson-To-Bloomfield Pursuit Ends In Pickup Crash, DWI, Drug Charges

A pre-dawn pursuit that began in Paterson ended 20 minutes later when a drunken Bloomfield driver crashed his pickup truck near his home, authorities said.

Henry Vindas
Photo Credit: *MUGSHOT: Courtesy PASSAIC SHERIFF*

Jerry DeMarco

08/06/2019 5:59 p.m.

Henry Vindas, 38, led the 11-mile chase after Passaic County Sheriff's Sgt. Eric Fajardo tried pulling over his Dodge pickup in the area of 20th Avenue and State Street just after 4 a.m. Tuesday, Sheriff Richard H. Berdnik said.

Vindas fled through several city streets and onto Route 19 South and then the Garden State Parkway before exiting in Bloomfield, the sheriff said.

Moments later, the pickup slammed into a tree at the intersection of Berkeley and Watsessing avenues, he said.

Vindas was arrested and was found carrying two small bags of cocaine, Berdnik said. He also was intoxicated, the sheriff said.

He was treated at St. Joseph’s Hospital In Wayne for minor cuts from the crash, processed at the sheriff's headquarters in Wayne and taken to the Passaic County Jail.

Vindas was charged with eluding police, resisting arrest, cocaine possession and DWI. He also received several traffic summonses, the sheriff said.

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