The vehicle slammed into the median several times before coming to a stop near Webster Avenue around 2:30 a.m., about 20 minutes after the pursuit began, Passaic County Sheriff Richard H. Berdnik told CLIFFVIEW PILOT.
PCSO Sgt. Ed Shantley tried pulling over the black 1998 Beamer on Memorial and Broadway in Paterson for having a broken tail light and a bogus license plate, the sheriff said.
A chase followed through the streets of Paterson onto Broadway in Elmwood Park before heading onto Route 4, he said.
At one point, the stolen auto nearly struck a police cruiser with two officers inside who joined the chase, Berdnik said.
Both suspects were taken to St. Joseph’s Medical Center in Paterson with minor injuries, he said.
“I want to commend these officers for making this arrest,” the sheriff said. “We are glad that this chase was concluded within the NJ Attorney General huidelines with no major injuries to law enforcement or civilians.”
The driver was taken to the Essex County Juvenile Detention Center, where he was being held pending a family court hearing on a complaint that charges him with eluding police, resisting arrest, assault, drug possession and various motor vehicle offenses.
His passenger, Terrence Atkins of Newark, was charged with resisting arrest. Atkins also had outstanding warrants, Berdnik said.
Additional charges are possible, the sheriff said.
Bergen County and Teaneck police and Teaneck firefighters and EMTs were among the responding agencies.
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