Police Chase Ends in Multi-Vehicle Crash in Newark

A stolen vehicle pursued by East Orange police into Newark crashed Thursday afternoon, injuring three pedestrians and damaging several cars.

Three pedestrians were injured in the crash at 7th and Roseville avenues at around 2 p.m., according to Katherine Carter, spokesperson for the Essex County Prosecutor's Office. The pedestrians were transported to the hospital with minor injuries, Carter said.

Witnesses at the scene said one of the victims was a small boy.

One person is in custody, said Sgt. Ronald Glover, Newark Police Department spokesperson. He said Newark police were not involved in the pursuit.

The incident is being investigated by the Essex County Prosecutor's Office.

Ruby Albert, of Newark, had just parked her car on 7th Avenue, near Roseville Avenue, and had entered a liquor store to buy a bottle of water when “I heard a boom.”

When she exited the store, she saw that her car had been struck and pushed onto the sidewalk.

"I can’t describe what I saw, everybody was confused," Albert told a reporter as a strong aroma of spilled gasoline filled the air. "Two boys were fighting on the street."

Albert’s vehicle, as well as least two others, had sustained heavy damage and had yet to be removed from the scene late Thursday afternoon.

Picachu Balberia was in a barber shop on Roseville Avenue when the chase ended nearby. He showed a reporter cell phone video of what he said was one of the suspects being taken into custody.

The video also showed a small, crying boy being cradled by a woman as a man who appeared to a plainclothes police officer treated an injury to the back of the boy’s head. The boy and the woman were sitting on the sidewalk along 7th Avenue.

The boy had been struck by a car nudged onto the sidewalk by one of the speeding vehicles, Balberia said, although that could not immediately be confirmed.

Neighborhood residents Thursday said police should refrain from going on high-speed chases because of the potential danger to civilians.

"Ain’t no way in the world police should chase a stolen car," said Thomas Harper, a 7th Avenue resident. "Look how many people get hurt. It ain’t doing nothing but filling up the junk yards [with stolen cars]."

"The cops, they need to let people go,” said Rafael Nunez, a father of two who lives on Orange Street a few blocks from the scene. "They might as well shoot at [suspects] in a park full of people...It’s not worth it."

This is a breaking news story. Check back on Patch for updates as information becomes available.

– Lia Eustachewich contributed to this report.