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Juan Carlos Albear, 54, who was behind the wheel, and Ysabell Gonzalez, 63, were killed in the violent collision at Grand Street and Routes 1&9 shortly before 6 a.m. last Dec 10.
Elizabeth police had responded to a report of gunfire minutes earlier in the area of Fourth Avenue and Center Street, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said.
Officer Michael White ended up following a Hyundai Sonata whose driver, after seeing him, hit the gas, the attorney general said.
The motorist blew a red light and his car collided with the cab in the intersection, he said.
Two of three occupants in the fleeing vehicle were arrested and later hospitalized with injuries that weren't life-threatening, Platkin said.
The third occupant fled on foot and has remained at large, he said.
Carlos, 54, emigrated from Ecuador 26 years ago and had been working as a taxi driver in Elizabeth for years.
State law requires Platkin's office to investigate all deaths that occur in New Jersey “during an encounter with a law enforcement officer acting in the officer’s official capacity or while the decedent is in custody," no matter what the circumstances are.
The guidelines guarantee that the investigation by his Office of Public Integrity and Accountability (OPIA) is done “in a full, impartial and transparent manner," removing politics or personal agendas.
Once the investigation is completed, the results will be presented to a grand jury, Platkin said.
Any recorded video or audio from the incident will first be shared with loved ones before being released publicly.
ANYONE with information on the third person's whereabouts is asked to contact Union County Prosecutor’s Office Detective Angela Concepcion at 908-341-5416 or Elizabeth Police Detective Brian McDonough at 908-447-6685.
Tips can also be submitted anonymously at 908-654-TIPS (8477) or online at uctip.org. Those that lead to both an arrest and an indictment can make the tipster eligible for a reward of $10,000 from the Union County Crime Stoppers.
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