Cop Dragged By Vehicle Pursuing Maplewood Teens: Police

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — A series of car thefts, multiple burglaries, two chases and one assault led to the arrest of five people Wednesday, including a pair of teenagers from Maplewood, according to the North Caldwell Police Department.

According to authorities the arrests in relation to the thefts stemmed from stolen vehicles from Maplewood and Morris Plains, and thefts in East Hanover and Morris Plains.

North Caldwell Police Chief Mark Deuer said that local officers arrested two suspects after a foot chase in North Caldwell. A separate foot chase took place in Essex Fells when suspects “bailed out” of their vehicle and tried to escape officers from North Caldwell, Verona, Essex Fells and Caldwell.

Deuer told NJ.com that a North Caldwell sergeant arrived on the 300 block of Mountain Avenue in North Caldwell around 4:40 a.m. after a resident called police upon seeing several masked men carrying flashlights running though a backyard.

The sergeant noticed two vehicles, each with several people inside and approached one of the cars, and one of the occupants grabbed the sergeant, held him against the window and dragged the officer several feet, Deuer said in the report.

Deuer said the officer was treated for non-life-threatening injuries and authorities made two sets of arrests before 6 a.m.

Police also found an Airsoft gun in one of the vehicles, NJ.com reported.

The arrestees and charges included an unnamed 17-year-old Newark male, as well as:

• Chigemezu Nwigwe, 18, of Maplewood - aggravated assault on a police officer, receiving stolen property, eluding, burglary, obstruction
• Daezhom Carter, 18, of Maplewood - receiving stolen property, eluding, obstruction
• Justin L. Wilson, 18, of Collingswood - receiving stolen property, conspiracy to commit burglary
• Idris Y. Carter, 19, of Newark - receiving stolen property, conspiracy to commit burglary

Patch Editor Eric Keifer contributed to this report.

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