Crime & Safety
Police Chase Ended With Fiery Crash In Essex County
An Irvington man allegedly entered 21 cars in Fairfield, stole one of them, crashed, and stole another car in North Caldwell.
ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — Authorities have accused an Irvington man of illegally entering 21 vehicles in Fairfield on Aug. 31, stealing one of them and leading police on a car chase that ended with a fiery crash near the Stepping Ridge complex on Little Falls Road.
On Tuesday, Fairfield police charged Jonathan Joseph, 24, of Irvington, with eluding police, 21 counts of burglary to a motor vehicle and two counts of motor vehicle theft.
Joseph was arrested by Woodbridge police on Sept. 22 on unrelated charges, and was transported to the Middlesex County Jail, Fairfield authorities stated.
Find out what's happening in Caldwellsfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
According to the Fairfield Police Department:
“It is alleged that on August 31, after crashing a stolen GMC Acadia into a utility pole and taking down wires, [Joseph] was able to exit the upside-down vehicle just before it caught fire. Joseph was able to flee the location and allegedly steal another vehicle in North Caldwell to facilitate his escape from the area. He allegedly told a Fairfield detective during his interview that he was wearing a seatbelt and that probably saved him from being ejected or seriously injured.”
Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com
Find out what's happening in Caldwellsfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Photo: Fairfield Police Department
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
