26°
The arrest was captured on body-worn camera footage, obtained via the Open Public Records Act and released by Transparency Bodycam on YouTube.
The 22-minute video shows Lyndhurst Officer Michael LeStrange questioning then arresting Rozario Ymeraj, who racked up 21 summonses and faced criminal charges after a broad-daylight pursuit on Thursday, May 23, as reported by Daily Voice.
The teen was operating the bike without a license plate when he sped off down Ridge Road, weaving in and out of traffic as LeStrange pursued him, as Daily Voice reported citing Detective Lt. Vincent Auteri.
LeStrange was not happy by the time Ymeraj finally pulled over on Route 3 west by Ridge Road, putting him up against a wall in securing him in handcuffs, bodycam footage shows.
Ymeraj told the officer all of his paperwork was "at the house" and he had just gotten the bike, begging LeStrange not to impound it. He also told the officers that he'd purchased the bike off Facebook Marketplace, but a check of the bike's VIN showed otherwise: It had been reported stolen out of Suffolk County, NY the month before.
"To top off your bad decisions that you made today, how much did you pay for it?" LeStrange asked.
"I paid three thousand and a half," Ymeraj said.
"You just lost three and a half thousand dollars because this is a stolen motorcycle," LeStrange informed the teen.
Ymeraj had one last question for the officers as they secured him in the police vehicle and headed toward the station for booking:
"Am I going to jail?"
Click here for the full video from Transparency Bodycam.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Readington Township and receive free news updates.
