Alleged Shoplifter Leads Cops on High Speed Chase

A man accused of shoplifting at a Paramus shopping mall led police on a high-speed car chase that ended in a crash in Bloomfield Friday.

Anthony White, 42, of East Orange, fled from Paramus police after an alleged shoplifting incident and raced down the Garden State Parkway at about 3:00 p.m. with local police units and state troopers in pursuit, authorities said. 

After White got off of the Bloomfield exit, he raced down Broad Street and crashed into a black Silverado truck, Bloomfield Police Sgt. Pat Spatola said. Police said the Silverado, which was hit at the intersection of Broad and Bay, belonged to a Bloomfield resident.  Police did not identify the man, who was transported to HackensackUMC Mountainside Hospital with chest and neck injuries.

Police said the alleged incident began at a shopping mall in Paramus.  

“The suspect was stacking up items to steal from the store," said Spatola.  "When the Paramus police tried to stop him he ran out and jumped into a vehicle.  He got off the Parkway and was running all the red lights.  After he smashed into a civilian vehicle, he got out and ran.  He was apprehended in a backyard.”

“I saw his face in my backyard,” recalled one shaken woman who lives near the scene of the accident.  “He looked at me and we made eye contact.  If he’d had a gun he might have killed us.”

The resident, who asked that her name not be published, said her first thought was protecting her children who were playing outside.

“I called them inside.  I slammed the door so hard I’m surprised the glass didn’t break,” she said. “As the kids were coming in he looked at me and ran through our yard.   I called 911.  We all laid down on the dining room floor and waited for the police to come.”

The resident said law enforcement officers apprehended the man after he had jumped the fences and run across two more properties.

“There were six or seven police chasing him, maybe more,” said the woman, whose husband was able to photograph New Jersey state troopers handcuffing the suspect and leading him away.

White was charged with eluding police, possession of a weapon (referring to his truck), possession of a weapon for unlawful purpose, aggravated assault and criminal mischief for damaging a light pole.  He also received a motor vehicle summons, said Spatola.

“I’ve never seen anything like this,” she said, shaking her head. “What a Friday the 13^th!”

Check back for updates on this story.

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