Teens In Stolen Car, Pursued By Cops, Cause Fatal Old Bridge Crash: PD

OLD BRIDGE, NJ — At a time when car thefts in New Jersey are skyrocketing, late Tuesday night a police pursuit of a stolen car resulted in a fatal collision on Rt. 9 in Old Bridge, which killed a 33-year-old Freehold man, according to Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone.

A 19-year-old Somerset teen has been charged with the fatal crash.

Police say he and another teen boy, 17, were driving a car stolen out of New Brunswick, and they sped away from a police officer trying to pull them over. They crashed into a third vehicle, killing the Freehold man and injuring members of his family.

At 2:14 a.m. Wednesday, Old Bridge Police were called to a crash site near the intersection of Spring Valley Road and Rt. 9 south. Arturo Tlapa Luna, 33, of Freehold was pronounced dead at the scene. Other family members who were in the car were also injured and taken to a hospital.

The car that caused the crash had been reported stolen in New Brunswick on October 23, said Prosecutor Ciccone.

The two teen boys drove the stolen car to Marlboro Township late Tuesday night and they were trying to steal or break into cars in Marlboro, she said.

Marlboro residents called 911; police responded and a Marlboro police officer initiated a car chase.

"A Marlboro police officer attempted to stop the vehicle in connection with an attempted car theft from a house in Marlboro," said New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin, whose office is also investigating the fatal crash.

Samuel Villar, 19, of Somerset, was arrested and charged with one count of first-degree aggravated manslaughter for Luna's death, four counts of second-degree aggravated assault and one count of second-degree eluding, one count of second-degree employing a juvenile and one count of third-degree theft.

A 17-year-old juvenile teen boy who was in the stolen car with him has been taken into custody and charged with an act of juvenile delinquency for offenses which if committed by an adult would constitute as one count of third-degree burglary, one count of fourth-degree joyriding, and one count of third-degree conspiracy.

In 2020, Gov. Phil Murphy made it illegal for New Jersey police officers to chase stolen cars or cars used in the commission of crimes, specifically because he — and others — said it was too dangerous to have high-speed chases on NJ roads.

Other drivers could be killed, said the governor.

This was part of an overhaul led by Murphy to reduce police use of force in the aftermath of George Floyd's death in police custody.

Then, due to the surge in car thefts this year, in late April Murphy-appointee Attorney General Platkin changed the policy and allowed New Jersey police officers to initiate high-speed car chases.

At the time, Platkin said he was re-allowing police chases specifically because of the high amount of car thefts happening in suburban towns right now: Car theft is up 66 percent this year in Monmouth County. Statewide, luxury car thefts skyrocketed 127 percent from last January to the end of January 2022, according to State Police data.

Wealthy suburban communities like Marlboro, Holmdel, Middletown and others have been experiencing many car thefts this year. In many cases, the stolen cars speed away onto the Garden State Parkway. In most cases, the pursuits have not been continued.

Related: As NJ Car Thefts Surge, State Revises Policy To Allow Police Pursuit (April 2022)