Belleville Cops Find Driver Injured Inside Overturned, Stolen Car On Rt. 21

BELLEVILLE, NJ — Belleville police arrested a Newark driver after finding them injured inside an overturned car allegedly stolen out of Rahway last month, authorities say.

According to the Belleville Police Department, officers received a report about a motor vehicle rollover on Route 21 South around 9:26 a.m. on March 28. On arrival, the officers found an overturned vehicle with the driver inside.

Emergency responders arrived on the scene soon afterwards and transported the injured driver, Valerie Almonte, 20, of Newark, to a nearby hospital for treatment.

During a subsequent investigation, police found that the vehicle had been reported stolen out of Rahway earlier that day, and that Almonte had a suspended license. She was also found to be in possession of multiple stolen items from other towns, authorities stated.

Belleville police took Almonte into custody when she was released from the hospital and charged her with three counts of receiving stolen property.