Man Tries To Bait Vernon Police Into Long Car Chases: Warrant

VERNON, CT — A man accused of trying to goad Vernon police into a lengthy high-speed chase on several occasions one day last month is now facing criminal charges, a warrant states.

Joseph Carvajal, 28, whose listed address is on Old Stone Road in Vernon, was served a warrant on Feb. 7 charging him with reckless driving and engaging police in a pursuit along with headlight and registration violations.

The case dates back to a series of speeding incidents involving a red car with one headlight and a missing back bumper that progressed through the early morning hours of Dec. 16, according to a warrant.

The first encounter local police had with Carvajal that morning was at 12:34, when an officer saw the red car traveling at a high rate of speed on Route 30 near Cold Spring Drive. When the officer activated his lights, the red car sped away and eventually turned onto Interstate-84 westbound and the officer gave up the pursuit. The estimated speed was 58 mph, according to a warrant.

Less than five minutes later, the red car reappeared one exit later, off the highway on Kelly Road, according to a warrant. Again, it went past a police cruiser at a similar speed.

The scenario played out "throughut the night," and it became obvious to police that the driver, later identified as Carvajal, was trying to bait the cops into a longer chase, according to a warrant.

On Dec. 22, Carvajal was pulled over for his recurring headlight violation and the car was identified as a 1992 Mazda Miata. From that stop, detectives were able to identify him as the driver in the other incidents. A warrant was then applied for, police said.