Cop Car's Smashed Window Leads to Hours-Long Road Closure, Manhunt

All lanes of Route 78 in Hunterdon County were reopened before noon Saturday after a police investigation lead to a manhunt in Clinton Township Saturday morning.

New Jersey State Police responded to a crash near mile marker 19.5 at 4:25 a.m. after a Honda Civic went off the roadway and crashed off the right shoulder, Sgt. Jeffrey Flynn said.

Troopers from the Perryville station responded to the incident and found Antonio Melendez, Jr., 29, of Phillipsburg, was the driver of the vehicle, Flynns said. While troopers were attending to Melendez, the back window of a state police Chevy Tahoe was smashed, Flynn said.

It is unknown what caused the window to shatter, but the incident launched a manhunt. The roadway was then closed in both directions from Exit 24 to Exit 17 around 5 a.m. Eastbound lanes were not reopened until 9:30 a.m.

A search ensued for “a subject,” Flynn said, utilizing K9s and helicopters. Flynn was unable to say if the crash and smashed car window are related.

“No troopers or civilians have been injured in the incident,” State Police said via Facebook in a 9:30 a.m. update.

The closures initially spread between exits 24 and 17, according to nj101.5.com, which also reported motorists are being told to turn around and “not to pick up hitchhikers.”

The manhunt lead to a school lockdown for North Hunterdon High School where students, coaches and visitors were told not to leave and no visitors were allowed in for approximately two hours, nj.com reported.

Both the crash and smashed window remain under investigation, and no charges have been made. Melendez was taken to Hunterdon County Medical Center for minor injuries.