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Sparta Police stopped a tan Chevrolet Impala being driven erratically on Route 15 North in Sparta around 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 9, Lt. John Lamon said.
The three occupants — Travon Johnson, 19, a second 19-year-old male and a 17-year-old juvenile — “appeared nervous” and evaded the officer’s questions, prompting a call for backup, Lamon said.
A follow-up investigation found that the vehicle was wanted for questioning in an armed robbery that had taken place the previous day in Newark.
The car was also tied to an armed robbery in Phillipsburg on Monday, Feb. 7, Sparta Police said.
Johnson, of Easton, PA, subsequently fled from officers attempting to detain the trio, heading into the woods and across Route 15 toward Layton Lane, police said.
Numerous local agencies and New Jersey State Police set up a search perimeter while the other two occupants were taken into custody and the vehicle impounded.
Johnson — who had just been released from jail in the past week — was found after a “lengthy search” hiding in the bed of a parked dump truck off Layton Lane, police said.
A 9 mm Ruger and a 9 mm Glock were also found in the area, one of them found to be stolen out of Easton, authorities said.
Johnson was arrested and taken to police headquarters, where he was charged with receiving stolen property, possession of illegal firearms, and possession of a firearm by a felon.
Johnson was being held at the Morris County Correctional Facility pending a hearing, while the other two occupants were released.
A bullet hole was observed in the rear door on the driver side of the vehicle, though no injuries were reported, Lamon said.
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