Scooter Driver Dies In Woodbridge After Being Pursued By Police

WOODBRIDGE, NJ — Perth Amboy Police pursued the driver of a motorized scooter into Woodbridge Saturday night, and the scooter driver died in a crash shortly after the officer ended the pursuit, according to New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin.

The AG's office is investigating the death.

The incident unfolded just after midnight, 12:05 a.m. Sunday, when three people were driving motorized scooters in the area of State Street and High Street in Perth Amboy. A lieutenant from the Perth Amboy Police tried to conduct a motor vehicle stop of the group.

The reason the Perth Amboy Police lieutenant tried to stop the trio was not initially released by police. The Attorney General is currently investigating the circumstances that led to the traffic stop, said a spokesman for Platkin.

The lieutenant activated his overhead lights and siren. Two of the three scooter riders did not stop, continued driving and left the scene. At first, the third scooter slowed down and pulled over on the shoulder of State Street, but then sped up again and drove away at a high speed northbound, said the Attorney General.

The lieutenant pursued the electric scooter in his squad car until both vehicles crossed the border into the Sewaren section of Woodbridge, at which point the lieutenant turned off his lights and sirens, gave up the pursuit and made a U-turn and returned to Perth Amboy.

Shortly thereafter, about a quarter mile north on State Street, Woodbridge police officers responded to a 911 call about a motor vehicle crash. Responding officers found the third scooter rider lying in the middle of State Street, between Arbor and Ferry streets, with the damaged scooter some distance away. He was pronounced dead at the scene. His identity has not yet been released.

The investigation is ongoing and no further information will be released, said the Attorney General.

A 2019 state law requires the Attorney General to investigate when a person dies during an encounter with a law enforcement officer. The law requires all investigations be presented to a grand jury to determine if the evidence supports the return of an indictment against the officer or officers involved.