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Denny Oh, 25, of Hackettstown was charged by a grand jury in Hackensack yesterday with:
• two counts each of attempting to cause serious bodily injury to Officers Kevin Nebbia, Gregory Anastassatos and Edward Schaefer and attempting to do so by fleeing police;
• threatening physical force or violence against the three, as well as to Detective Joseph Castellitto;
• eluding all four “after receiving a signal to come to a full stop, and in a manner creating risk of death or injury to any person”;
• two counts each of property damage and drug possession (heroin, cocaine).
Nebbia and Schaefer were taken to Hackensack University Medical Center for evaluation but were otherwise fine, Police Chief Thomas Gallagher told CLIFFVIEW PILOT after the Oct. 7 incident.
Oh of Hackettstown remained held on $200,000 bail today in the Bergen County Jail, down from an original $250,000.
Nebbia discovered warrants for Oh after stopping his gray 2005 Honda Oddysey with New Jersey license plates at a checkpoint on the Grand Avenue exit ramp from eastbound Route 46.
As Nebbia told him that he was being taken into custody, Oh hit the gas, Gallagher said at the time.
Nebbia was dragged about 25 feet before he was able to jump off the mini-van and return to his car.
He chased Oh, whose vehicle sent another onto a curb and into the Verizon Wireless store building on Broad Avenue after he blew a stop sign at Edsall Avenue, Gallagher said.
The driver of the other car and her young son weren’t injured.
With police in pursuit, Oh got back onto Route 46 going west, then suddenly spun around and headed the wrong way, bearing down on officers who’d gotten out of their cars, the chief said.
The mini-van then struck a police cruiser driven by Schaefer, but Oh kept on going, he said.
He continued the wrong way down the Grand Avenue ramp, then drove a short distance before the mini-van slammed into another Ridgefield police car, Gallagher said (see photo above).
Oh got out and tried to run but was quickly caught by a group of Palisades Park and Ridgefield officers who tackled him in some bushes outside 73 West Columbia Avenue, witnesses told CLIFFVIEW PILOT.
MUGSHOT: Courtesy BERGEN COUNTY SHERIFF
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