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Clifton Police Officer Matthew Rugel was in the area of Broad Street and Elmwood Drive when he spotted the 2020 Audi, which had been reported stolen out of Hazlet and connected to subsequent crimes, shortly after 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 2.
Rugel tried to stop the vehicle, but the driver sped off through the streets of Clifton and eventually onto eastbound Route 3, Detective Lt. Robert Bracken said.
Witnesses said speeds reached 120 miles an hour as the pursuit continued onto southbound Route 21 into Newark.
There the car collided with two civilian vehicles in the area of Grafton Avenue and Broadway, Bracken said.
Three occupants bailed out, led police on a foot chase and eventually vanished into nearby projects, he said.
Other officers remained behind to tend to the civilians involved in the crash, the lieutenant said. No serious injuries were reported.
An officer with a minor foot injury was tended to by EMS at the scene.
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