12/20/23 Paterson, NJ – Motor Vehicle Crash – Officer Investigating – Suspect Jumps In Police Car And Drives Away – Crashes – Suspect Arrested

December 20, 2023

www.northjersey.com

For the second time in two months, someone tried to steal a marked city police vehicle, but ended up being arrested, authorities said.

The most recent incident happened Sunday night, just before 9, when a city police officer was responding to a motor vehicle crash near the corner of Market and Straight streets, authorities said.

While the officer was outside the police car attending to the crash, a 27-year-old man hopped into the driver’s seat and drove it a short distance, a city law enforcement spokesman said.

The police car thief ended up crashing on Market Street, officials said. The suspect has been charged with motor vehicle theft, endangering another person, obstruction, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and unlawful possession of a weapon, the spokesman said.

The previous cop car theft happened Nov. 10 at the parking lot of Paterson police headquarters. Someone entered a police vehicle and drove from the lot but crashed almost 2 miles away, near the corner of Summer Street and 21^st Avenue.