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It all began about 2 p.m. Thursday when off-duty Brick Township Police Officer Kevin Ryan was leaving the LA Fitness gym in Brick Plaza after working out, police said.
Ryan heard a vehicle alarm sounding in the parking lot. The alarm was coming from a tan Chevy pickup truck. Ryan reportedly noticed a greenish gray minivan parked next to the tan pickup.
The minivan reportedly matched the description of a vehicle that car burglars have been using while traveling all over the state for the past several weeks. Its occupants allegedly victimized gym-goers and other shoppers in plazas, according to Sgt. James Kelly, a spokesman for Brick police.
Ryan immediately called it in to headquarters. Officer John Canterelli was the closest patrol unit and arrived within minutes, Kelly said.
When the suspects saw the marked police car pull into the parking lot "they immediately fled in a wild manner with extreme disregard for the pedestrian traffic in the shopping plaza," according to Kelly.
Canterelli pursued the fleeing vehicle with lights and sirens but the driver reportedly continued driving dangerously through the residential neighborhood directly across from Brick Plaza, along Aurora Place and Bryn Mawr Drive, Kelly said.
Out of concern for the safety of the general public, police terminated the pursuit, the sergeant said.
By then, several police units were in the area and those officers continued to monitor the erratic driving of the fleeing suspects from a distance. By the time the suspects had left the residential neighborhood, they turned from North Lake Shore Drive onto Brick Boulevard south, driving against traffic, going north on the southbound side of Brick Boulevard, according to Kelly.
The suspects continued fleeing dangerously through town, at one time driving against the flow of traffic, going east on the westbound side of Route 70, Kelly said.
Several motorists were run off the road to avoid colliding with the racing vehicle, Kelly said.
Officers continued to monitor from a safe distance and call out the suspects’ location and direction of travel, he said.
At the intersection of Burnt Tavern Road and Maple Avenue, the suspect allegedly ran the light and crashed into a black Audi with two occupants, according to Kelly. The crash overturned the black Audi and disabled the suspects’ minivan, Kelly said.
The suspects then jumped out of the minivan and began to run. The driver, identified as Andrew Williams, 42, of Brooklyn, ran to a vehicle that had stopped near the intersection because of the crash and tried to pull the driver out of the vehicle, Kelly said.
She was seat-belted in and he could not extract her. Arriving officers ran towards Williams, at which time William fled on foot and tried to enter an unmarked police car to steal that, but Lt. Terrence Covert and Lt. Jay Matthews pulled him out and placed him in handcuffs, Kelly said.
Williams' passenger, Louis Candelario, 49, of Brooklyn, allegedly fled north on Burnt Tavern Road on foot. Officer John Boronkas caught Williams up the road and placed him under arrest, Kelly said.
Williams was charged with carjacking, burglary, theft, criminal mischief, aggravated assault, attempt to elude in a motor vehicle, obstructing justice, resisting arrest, and dozens of motor vehicle violations, according to Kelly.
Candelario was charged with burglary, theft, criminal mischief and obstructing justice, Kelly said.
Both suspects were being held in Ocean County Jail.
The victims of Thursday’s wreck are safe and detectives continue to investigate, Kelly said. More charges are possible upon the completion of the Traffic Safety Unit’s investigation into the crash at Maple Avenue and Burnt Tavern.
Williams and Candelario are suspects in multiple vehicle burglaries and thefts throughout the state, according to Kelly.
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