Belleville Man Leads Nutley Cops On 76-MPH Chase, Crashes

Nutley, NJ – A Belleville man recently led Nutley police officers on a 76-mph car chase before crashing on Passaic Avenue and fleeing on foot, authorities said.

According to the Nutley Police Department, the chase began on Feb. 28 when officers attempted to stop a Honda Civic allegedly driving in a “careless manner.”

When officers activated their overhead lights and sirens, the vehicle allegedly began to speed up and the driver refused to pull over, police stated.

Officers allegedly clocked the vehicle at 76-mph during the driver’s attempt to elude police, authorities said.

When the car crashed in the area of Passaic Avenue, the driver jumped out of the car and fled on foot, police said.

Officers searched the area with negative results, but were later able to identify the alleged driver, 30-year-old Vincent Cotugno, police said.

Cotugno’s driver’s license was under suspension at the time and he had an active warrant out of Belleville, police stated.

Authorities charged Cotugno with Eluding an Officer and multiple traffic offenses.

Nutley police later responded to Cotugno’s residence to present the warrant, but he was not present.

Belleville police were notified regarding the incident, authorities stated.

After the incident, Cotugno was issued summonses for Leaving Scene of Accident Involving Property Damage and Failure to Report An Accident.