59°
The chase began with a shoplifting on Route 23 in Riverdale around 9:30 a.m.
Riverdale police stopped an Acura SUV and had taken a suspect into custody when the driver hit the gas, responders said.
The chase ended at Matthews Drive in Bloomingdale, state Attorney Gurbir S. Grewal said.
"Immediately before the shooting, police vehicles from Bloomingdale and Riverdale were in pursuit of the car," Grewal said.
The driver, Michael J. Rivera, 32, of Newark, "turned the car around and encountered a pursuing police vehicle," the attorney general said.
"The police vehicle was stopped in front of Rivera’s car and the officer was attempting to exit the vehicle when Rivera drove the car forward, ramming the police vehicle and pinning the officer’s leg," he said.
The officer "fired multiple rounds, fatally wounding Rivera," Grewal said.
"Police administered first aid and CPR and transported Rivera to Chilton Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead," he said.
The officer was also taken to the hospital, where he was treated for a leg injury before being released, Grewal said.
The Attorney General’s Shooting Response Task Force is reviewing the circumstances of the shooting, he said.
******
ALSO SEE: Authorities captured and charged three Long Island men in connection with the shooting death of a driver on Route 80 in Lodi last weekend.
******
Click here to follow Daily Voice Paramus and receive free news updates.
