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Officer Eddy Pichardo began pursuing the Honda CRV with Connecticut license plates soon after the teens opened the victim's door and yanked her out at the Conoco quick-stop gas station on Main Street around 11:30 p.m. Saturday, city Police Director Jerry Speziale said.
Pichardo followed the CRV into Clifton, where the 17-year-old driver suddenly pulled into the parking lot of the CVS at Main Street and Crooks Avenue and hit the push bumper on his marked unit.
A trailing officer couldn't stop in time, rear-ending Pichardo's vehicle, Speziale noted. Neither officer was injured and damage to both cars was limited to the special bumpers, he said.
Police nabbed the driver while he was still in the SUV and chased down his younger partner on foot about a block away, the director said.
The juveniles, both from Newark, had prior histories of similar offenses, Speziale said. They were processed at Paterson police headquarters.
The carjacked victim was OK, the director noted. Her Honda was temporarily impounded to be processed for evidence.
Clifton police handled the accident reports, he said.
Pichardo "was quick in his actions," Speziale said. "As a result, he identified and ended this situation quickly.”
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