4 Injured, 3 Cars Hit In Morris County Police Chase: Cops

PEQUANNOCK, N.J. – A Lake Hiawatha man was arrested Sunday afternoon after he lead police on a chase through Riverdale, Wayne, and finally Pequannock while striking three cars and injuring four, including himself.

Pequannock Captain Chris DePuyt said his department received a call for assistance from the Riverdale Police Department at 4:10 p.m. on Feb. 28 stating they were chasing a 2001 Red Mitsubishi Mirage that had allegedly drove in the opposite lane of travel on the Hamburg Turnpike.

The driver disregarded all signals to pull over, continued into Wayne, then Pequannock on Route 23 North, DePuyt said.

After the vehicle passed Alexander Avenue, it struck a car traveling in the right lane, continued on, struck two more vehicles and subsequently overturned, DePuyt said..

Pequannock officers stopped and rendered aid to the victims of the damaged vehicles and Riverdale police arrested Keshav Prasad, 30, of Lake Hiawatha.

Prasad was taken to St. Clare’s Hospital in Denville for minor injuries and a psychiatric evaluation, DePuyt said.

He was charged by Pequannock police with two counts of reckless driving, two counts of making an unsafe lane change, leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident, failing to report a motor vehicle accident, and three counts of assault by automobile. Additional charges out of Riverdale are pending.

Three motorists from one of the cars struck by Prasad were transported to Chilton Medical Center after they complained of injuries and pain.