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Hanover police officer Brian Morrisroe was on patrol when he saw a Mercedes with heavy window tints and an expired inspection sticker speeding on Wednesday, June 19, Hanover Police Chief Mike Loock said.
Morrisroe checked the license plate of the vehicle and was found it had been reported stolen out of Pennsylvania. When Morrisroe began to close the gap with the Mercedes Benz, the driver sped up, Loock said.
The officer activated his lights and sirens but the Mercedes continued driving recklessly, in an attempt to elude Morrisroe. The stolen car ultimately crashed into another vehicle and became disabled on Ridgedale Avenue near Wing Drive.
The four occupants of the stolen Mercedes Benz, including Noel Kamara, 19, of Newark, immediately got out of the vehicle and began running towards a businesses on Wing Drive the chief said.
Officer Morrisroe was joined by Officer Tim Dalgauer and they were able to apprehend one of the juveniles. The other three, however, disappeared.
Officers from Hanover, Morris Plains, Morris Township, Parsippany, and Florham Park, as well as deputies from the Morris County Sheriff’s Office and the Morris County Department of Law and Public Safety responded and set up a perimeter.
After a search of the area, which included the use of drones, K-9’s and the New Jersey State Police helicopter, all four suspects were apprehended without incident. One was found trying to get into an Uber, another one was found hiding in a small ravine in the area, and the last one was found hiding in an unlocked car in the parking lot of 3 Wing Dr.
A loaded handgun was found in the stolen Mercedes, police said. The three juveniles were charged with riding in a vehicle knowing it’s taken without owners consent, obstruction, resisting arrest, receiving stolen property, unlawful possession of a firearm, possession of a firearm with no serial number and unlawful taking means of conveyance. One juvenile was charged with prescription legend drugs and theft.
Kamara was charged with eluding, obstruction, resisting arrest, receiving stolen property, unlawful possession of a firearm, possession of a firearm with no serial number, burglary, hindering, and assault by auto. He was also issued motor vehicle summonses for speeding, failure to signal, improper letting off of passengers, leaving scene of an accident, failure to obey stop light and stop sign, unlicensed, failure to stop for pedestrians, wrong way, willfully disabling a vehicle, traffic on a marked lane, leaving vehicle running, leaving scene of accident with property damage, improper passing, careless driving, reckless driving, failure to use caution near pedestrians, failure to pull over for emergency vehicles, obstruction, failure to report an accident, and delaying traffic.
Kamara had an active no bail warrant out of Newark. He was transported to the Morris County Correctional Facility pending his court date. The three juveniles were transported to the Morris County Juvenile Detention Center.
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