Taxi Carjacking On Rt. 1 Monday Leads To Arrest: Police

UNION COUNTY, NJ — A Flemington man was arrested following a carjacking that occurred on Route 1 on Monday, according to an announcement from Linden Police Thursday.

Manuel Martinho, 51, was charged with first-degree carjacking and third-degree shoplifting after Monday's incident.

He was sent to Union County Jail pending a hearing in Superior Court, police said.

The taxi driver, who was not identified, was treated on scene for minor injuries, police said.

The incident began when Martinho and an unidentified man hired a taxi to take them from Elizabeth to the Linden Home Depot on 701 W. Edgar Road. Police said following their arrival in Linden just after 1 p.m., Martinho entered the store while the taxi waited in the parking lot.

The man exited the store a few minutes later, loaded merchandise into the trunk of the taxi and requested that the driver return to Elizabeth, according to police. The taxi left the scene, traveling north on Route 1 back toward Elizabeth. While approaching the intersection of South Park Ave the taxi driver, a 78-year-old man from Elizabeth, was notified by the taxi dispatcher to return to Home Depot.

Police said the two men screamed at the driver to ignore the order, and when the driver made a U-turn, one man began punching him repeatedly until he fell out of the taxi.

The man then took control of the taxi and continued traveling north on Route 1, according to police.

Elizabeth Police Officers located the stolen vehicle in the area of West Jersey Street a short time later. Twenty-three rolls of Romex wire that were stolen from Home Depot, valued at approximately $3,500, were also recovered from the taxi, police said.

The second suspect, described as a heavy-set man wearing a green jacket, remains at large, police said.

“We are very proud of the quick response and investigative work that lead to this arrest,” Police Chief David Hart said. “We are also grateful for the partnership we share with the Elizabeth Police Department, who quickly located this individual and placed him under arrest.”

Anyone with information about the incident or any other criminal activity was asked to contact the Linden Police Department Detective Bureau at 908-474-8537.