​Newark Police Helicopter Used To Catch Armed Man On the Run

NEWARK, NJ — A man who ran from police on Saturday was arrested and charged after being caught with the help of a police helicopter.

Newark police said the incident began just before 10:20 p.m. on Saturday when NPD1, the police department's helicopter, spotted a black Dodge Durango driving erratically near Bergen Street and Shepherd Avenue.

Officers on the ground were notified, and began to trail the driver, later identified as Joshua Clark. According to police, he was seen running red lights, driving on the wrong side of Shepherd Avenue and side-swiping a tow truck.

The Durango then struck a fire hydrant and a tree at South 17th Street and Avon Avenue. Clark and another man in his car fled the scene on foot, police said.

Overhead, NPD1 tracked the man, and he was arrested near South 18th Street and Springfield Avenue. Authorities said he was found to have marijuana and Alprazolam pills on his person. A gun and ammunition were found in the Durango.

Clark faces charges of unlawful possession of a weapon, possession of a controlled substance, eluding, resisting arrest and certain persons prohibited from weapon possession, police said.

“I’m grateful that our police helicopter offers the visual assistance needed to locate suspects who pose a public safety threat,” Newark Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose said in a statement. “This driver not only put the lives of pedestrians in jeopardy, but because he had an illegal weapon, another act of violence may have been averted by NPD1.”