Three people face charges after a stolen car chase originating in Leonia, New Jersey, ended with a crash near the George Washington Bridge over the weekend. The vehicle, reported stolen earlier in Newark, repeatedly struck a police car during the pursuit.
Leonia Police Sgt. Ray Forsdahl was on patrol Saturday night when a license plate reader flagged a black 2017 Mercedes-Benz sedan as stolen. Police attempted to stop the vehicle, but it fled, leading officers through Englewood and Fort Lee.
The fleeing sedan made a sudden U-turn and struck Sgt. Forsdahl's patrol vehicle on Broad Avenue in Englewood. The driver continued to flee, heading south on Broad Avenue and then east onto Fort Lee Road.
As the vehicle approached the upper level of the George Washington Bridge, it struck Sgt. Forsdahl's car a second time, according to police.
The chase concluded when the Mercedes drove through a closed construction zone on the upper level tolls and crashed. Five occupants reportedly exited the wrecked vehicle and ran.
Responding officers from multiple agencies quickly apprehended three of the individuals fleeing the scene. Two suspects were arrested near an Acme Market in Fort Lee, while a third was taken into custody near the bridge by Port Authority police.
The driver, identified as Nashaia Johnson, 19, of Jersey City, was charged with possession of stolen property, resisting arrest, and aggravated assault for striking the police vehicle.
Passengers DeKwan Holmes, 22, of Irvington, and Tyree Smith, 19, of Newark, were each charged with possession of stolen property and resisting arrest. All three were processed at Leonia police headquarters and jailed.
Two suspects remain at large and have not been identified. The investigation into the incident is ongoing.
Several law enforcement agencies provided assistance during the pursuit and subsequent search, including the Palisades Interstate Parkway Police Department, the Palisades Park Police Department, and the Fort Lee Police Department, police said.
