45°
Cyprian Luke, 20, is accused of crashing a stolen pickup truck after a police pursuit, and then trying to steal a moped off the truck he hit before hopping in the driver's seat of that one last Saturday, authorities said.
Video obtained by Daily Voice shows civilians rushing to help an officer apprehend Luke after pulling him out of the driver's seat of the second truck as he resisted arrest on Route 46.
Luke was driving a stolen 2015 Toyota Tacoma when he was spotted by a Denville officer on the lookout for the truck on Route 46 in Rockaway Borough, Denville police Capt. Jeffrey Tucker said.
As the officer attempted a motor vehicle stop, Luke sped off then crashed at the Woodland Avenue intersection. The other driver was taken to a nearby hospital with minor injuries, reports say.
Luke tried to flee on foot, then steal the moped off the truck he hit, Tucker said. He was arrested as an officer pulled him out of the driver's seat of the truck he hit, resisting the entire way, Tucker said.
A video of Dover officers struggling to arrest Luke as he resisted circulated on social media. The footage shows an officer punching Luke, which prompted protests outside of the Dover police station.
The three officers in the video were temporarily suspended as the NJ Attorney General's Office investigated.
The three officers -- Sgt. Michael Pier and Officers Robert Fenske and Ilmi Bojkovic -- were later cleared of any wrongdoing and have reportedly returned to work.
The officers' actions "do not rise to the level of criminal acts warranting presentation to the state grand jury for indictment," the AG's office concluded last year.
The investigation was turned over to Dover Police, who reinstated the officers in the spring of this year.
Earlier this month, the AG's office announced it is reviewing Dover's internal investigation.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Paramus and receive free news updates.
