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A police chase had passed through Passaic, Nutley, East Rutherford and Secaucus – with speeds exceeding 100 miles an hour -- before heading back to Clifton, where a chain-reaction crash occurred, Detective Lt. Robert Bracken said.
Officer Mohammed Rayyan was the first to spot the 2021 Ford Bronco on southbound Route 21 near Ackerman Avenue shortly after 7:30 p.m. Monday, May 15.
The driver of the vehicle, which had been reported stolen out of Woodland Park earlier in the day, hit the gas when he saw the officer and sped off, ignoring lights and signs, the lieutenant said.
The driver hit a curb on Passaic Avenue, nearly losing control, during the lengthy pursuit, Bracken said.
The pursuit continued onto eastbound Route 3 through several towns before the driver turned around and headed back toward Clifton, he said.
Police pursued the Bronco through the streets of Clifton to the city’s east side, where the driver headed the wrong way down a one-way street.
Officers at that point pulled back out of public safety concerns, Bracken said.
The pursuit resumed a short time later on West 2nd Street, where the driver crashed the Bronco into an officer’s vehicle, the lieutenant said.
The impact knocked that police unit vehicle into another involved in the pursuit, Bracken said.
The driver and his 16-year-old passenger – both from Clifton -- bailed out and ran through several yards before the officers grabbed them, the lieutenant said.
The teens were treated at a nearby hospital for injuries sustained in the crashes before being released a short time later.
Police signed delinquency complaints against the boys while issuing multiple summonses to the 15-year-old for speeding and reckless driving, among other offenses.
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