Man Accused Of Fleeing, Nearly Hitting Police In Lakewood

LAKEWOOD, NJ — A Jackson Township man who authorities say ran from police and nearly hit detectives in three incidents in October has been arrested on charges of aggravated assault, the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office announced.

Kevin Valverde-Cruz, 20, was arrested Tuesday at his home when the Ocean County Regional SWAT executed a court-authorized search warrant, Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said.

Billhimer said Valverde-Cruz has been charged with three counts of aggravated assault and three counts of eluding law enforcement in the incidents that happened Oct. 18 and Oct. 22, 2022, in Lakewood Township.

On Oct. 18, Lakewood detectives saw a white Jeep Grand Cherokee speeding along and tried to pull it over, Billhimer said. The driver refused to stop and the pursuit ended on the Garden State Parkway due to safety concerns, he said.

Later that evening, detectives found the same white Jeep Grand Cherokee — confirmed by its license plate number from the first encounter — on the shoulder of the westbound lane of Central Avenue in Lakewood, Billhimer said.

When detectives approached and made contact with the driver, he put the vehicle in reverse, hit the detective’s vehicle, and turned back onto the road and took off, nearly hitting the detectives in the process, he said.

One detective fired a single shot at the side of the Jeep at the time, Billhimer said. The prosecutor's office did not say whether the shot hit the Jeep.

The third incident happened Oct. 22. A Lakewood police officer tried to pull the Jeep Grand Cherokee over in the area of Third Street and Clifton Avenue, but the driver refused to stop, instead speeding off toward Madison Avenue, Billhimer said. The police officer did not pursue the vehicle, he said.

Investigators from the Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit, Lakewood detectives and the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit determined Valverde-Cruz was driving the white Jeep Grand Cherokee during all three incidents, he said.

Valverde-Cruz’s white Jeep Grand Cherokee was found at his Jackson home, Billhimer said.

Valverde-Cruz is being held at the Ocean County Jail pending a detention hearing, Billhimer said. Records on the Ocean County Corrections website show there are arrest warrants from Howell Township and South Plainfield police for unspecified incidents in those towns.

The Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit and Narcotics Strike Force, Lakewood police, Jackson police, Howell police and the Ocean County Regional SWAT and Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit collaborated in the investigation.