Basking Ridge Man Sentenced For Slamming Cop With Car During Wild High-Speed Chase

BASKING RIDGE, NJ — A Basking Ridge man was sentenced on charges stemming from a wild high-speed chase through Manville in 2023, where he hit a police lieutenant with his car and crashed into a house before being found in a basement, said Somerset County Prosecutor's Office.

Brian A. Niziolek, 39, of Basking Ridge, was sentenced on Jan. 28 by Superior Court Judge Peter Tober to 30 years in New Jersey State Prison. Niziolek must serve 27 years before he is eligible for parole.

Niziolek was convicted on Dec. 11, 2025, for:

• Second-degree aggravated assault (attempt to cause serious bodily injury)
• Second-degree eluding; second-degree burglary while armed with a deadly weapon
• Second-degree unlawful possession of an assault firearm
• Second-degree unlawful possession of a handgun
• Third-degree aggravated assault (causing bodily injury to a law enforcement officer)
• Third-degree resisting arrest
• Fourth-degree unlawful possession of a high-capacity ammunition magazine
• Fourth-degree unlawful possession of a knife
• Second-degree certain persons not to possess firearms

Court Hearing

During the trial, on Dec. 4, 2025, as Niziolek was being led into the courtroom by sheriff’s officers, he spat on an attorney seated in the courtroom whom he mistakenly believed to be a witness for the State, said authorities.

Afterward, Niziolek reportedly told a sheriff’s officer that he was "having a bad day," and admitted, "I f***ed up."

On Jan. 12, Niziolek was charged with third-degree attempted witness retaliation and harassment, a petty disorderly person’s offense, for what happened in the courtroom during the trial.

This charge remains pending in Somerset County Superior Court.

June 2023 Crime

Niziolek's conviction stems from what happened on June 29, 2023.

On June 29, 2023, Manville Police got a report that Niziolek had a stolen vehicle.

Manville Lt. John Crater and Officer John Chismar found Niziolek driving the car on Pope Street and got out of their police vehicle to try and detain Niziolek.

Niziolek turned the wheels toward Crater, accelerated, and hit Crater in his arm and hip with the vehicle, propelling Crater against his own police vehicle, said authorities.

Crater and Chismar went back to their police vehicle and chased Niziolek as he sped away through Manville, with Manville Police Officer Christopher Ciempola joining.

Niziolek drove through Manville at speeds in excess of 60 mph and went the wrong way down a one-way street, until he crashed into a vehicle and then into a house on North 5th Avenue, said authorities.

After crashing into the house, Niziolek ran away before breaking through a basement window of a multi-unit apartment building on Brooks Boulevard in Manville.

Manville Police, with the help of officers from Bridgewater, Hillsborough, and a Somerset County Sheriff’s Department K9 Unit surrounded the house and found Niziolek hiding in a crawl space of a basement.

Crater removed Niziolek from the crawl space, handcuffed him, and placed him under arrest.

Police then searched Niziolek's car and found an illegal MAC-11 type 9mm semi-automatic assault firearm and an illegal high-capacity ammunition magazine containing 30 rounds, along with a bulletproof vest, said police.

Niziolek told police that he "hated” police; that police "need to die"; that he would "kill any cop I see from now on," and "every time a cop gets shot in the face or shot anywhere, and especially if they die, I throw a party with all my friends. We get drinks, food, smoke weed, we watch the videos of the f****** ass cop getting shot, couple times, have a few laughs. I laugh when they get shot. The funniest thing would be if a mother****** pulled a gun on one of y’all ****** and made you cry and they shot you in the face."

Prior arrests include:

• Basking Ridge Man Found Hiding In Garage, Charged With Burglary
• Basking Ridge Repeat Offender Found Guilty Of Possession of Gun

Have a news tip? Email alexis.tarrazi@patch.com.