Tuesday, February 09, 2010
A motorist wreaked havoc on Route 1&9 North yesterday afternoon after he stole a Port Authority of New York and New Jersey police cruiser, ran over a Port Authority officer and caused several accidents, police said.
The bizarre series of events started around 5 p.m. when the suspect, who was not identified by cops, was involved in a two-car highway crash near Newark Liberty International Airport, said city police spokesman Detective Hubert Henderson.
As Port Authority police responded, the man jumped from his wrecked vehicle and stole the Port Authority cruiser, striking one officer as he fled, then sped north along the highway, causing several other accidents as he raced toward the Pulaski Skyway, Henderson said.
Police were not immediately sure why the man stole the Port Authority cruiser which he wrecked minutes later before stealing a second vehicle, a white pick-up truck, said Henderson.
The suspect continued his wild ride north on the highway before he flipped near Stockton and Delancey streets in Newark, according to Henderson.
Following the third crash, the man was taken to University Hospital in Newark and treated for injuries, according to Henderson, who was not sure of his condition.
Information about the Port Authority police officer's injuries were also not immediately known.