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Justin F. Chacon, 33, with addresses in Old Bridge and Brooklyn, is charged with three counts of first-degree carjacking, resisting arrests and other offenses, according to Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago.
Shortly after 5:45 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 26, members of the Holmdel Township Police Department responded to Bayshore Medical Center on a report of a commercial delivery vehicle being stolen out of the hospital parking lot by an adult male later identified as Chacon.
A short while later, members of the Middletown Township Police Department responded to a report of a motor vehicle collision that had taken place at Route 35 and Navesink River Road.
There it was discovered that Chacon allegedly had crashed the stolen commercial delivery vehicle into the highway’s center median and then stole an SUV from a bystander who had pulled over and attempted to offer assistance, Santiago said.
Then, just before 6:15 a.m., Holmdel police responded to the northbound lanes of Route 35 near the intersection with Centerville Road on a report of a second collision. It was later determined that Chacon had collided with a garbage truck, causing the stolen SUV he was driving to leave the roadway, strike a telephone pole, and burst into flames, Santiago said.
After exiting the SUV, while brandishing a pair of wire-cutting pliers, Chacon then attempted to enter a pair of additional vehicles parked on the highway, but was rebuffed by the drivers of each.
The responding officers found Chacon walking in traffic and ordered him to drop the weapon, but he disregarded the order and began advancing in their direction. One of the officers then fired a round from his service weapon, striking Chacon.
Following a subsequent prolonged physical struggle with the officers, Chacon was taken into custody. He was subsequently transported to a local hospital, where he remains in stable condition, Santiago said.
The investigation into Chacon’s activities remains ongoing, and anyone with information about them is being asked to contact MCPO Detective Joshua Rios or Detective Ryan Mahony, both reachable at 800-533-7443.
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