Car Crashes Into Saddle Brook House, Bursts Into Flames, Police Say

SADDLE BROOK, NJ - A Brooklyn man was arrested and the car he was driving caught on fire following a police pursuit early Saturday morning, authorities said.

Sgt. Leigh Cadigan saw a black Nissan Altima run a red light and pulled the car over in Lodi. Driver Marlon Vancooten, 25, sped away after Cadigan approached the car, said Chief Robert Kugler said.

Vancooten lost control of the car at Fairview Avenue and Spring Valley Road and crashed into a house; he fled on foot, but police apprehended him after a brief pursuit, Chief Kugler said.

The car was smoking and caught fire after the crash, Kugler said. The Paramus Fire Department helped extinguish the fire, police said.

“It’s reckless hooligans like Vancooten that menace neighborhoods and endanger the lives of every day innocent people,” Chief Kugler said. “We were lucky to have run into him at a time when there was very little to no traffic on the roadways.”

Police are investigating the incident. Authorities said because Vancooten may have used a fraudulent credit card to purchase items, including several gift cards, that were found in his possession, Kugler said.

Vancooten was charged with several motor vehicle violations, including eluding police. He was remanded to the Bergen County Jail on $50,000 bail.

A female acquaintance who was in the car with Vancooten was released pending further investigation, Kugler said.

Photos: The mangled and burnt remains of the car that crashed into the house and Marlon Vancooten, 25/Saddle Brook Police Department