Man Dies In Crash During Union County Police Chase

A motorist died this weekend after he crashed into a medical office building during a police chase, authorities said.

The suspected shoplifter led police on a vehicle pursuit before crashing into the building, killing himself, acting Union County Prosecutor Thomas K. Isenhour announced Monday.

The deceased, an adult male, has not yet been identified.

At approximately 3:55 p.m. on Sunday,a store manager at the Target on Springfield Avenue in the Vauxhall section of Union Township alerted two uniformed Union Township Police Department officers working an off-duty assignment about the shoplifter, according to the UCPO.

The unknown male appeared to be attempting to shoplift several hundred dollars’ worth of over-the-counter medicine, according to the preliminary investigation being led by the Prosecutor’s Office.

When the officers approached the suspect and attempted to arrest him in the store’s parking lot, the man attempted to assault one of them by trying to bite him, then entered a parked Jaguar sedan and sped away, the investigation indicated, according to the the UCPO.

After leading police on a brief pursuit into neighboring Springfield, the suspect failed to negotiate a turn, lost control of his vehicle, and crashed into a multi-story commercial building on Springfield Avenue. The overturned vehicle subsequently caught fire, and three police officers who arrived at the scene tried unsuccessfully to rescue the trapped driver.

Those three officers were transported to Saint Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston for treatment for smoke inhalation, and the suspect driver was pronounced dead at the scene. It was later determined that the Jaguar he had been driving had been reported stolen out of Irvington approximately one week prior.

The building was closed at the time of the incident, and no civilians were injured.

This matter remains under an active investigation being assisted by the Union County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Unit, the Union County Police Department Fatal Accident Reconstruction Team, and the Union Township Police Department. Anyone with information is being urged to contact Prosecutor’s Office Sgt. Michael Manochio at 908-966-2287.

The chase started when the driver got into an argument Sunday with a Union Township police officer during a traffic stop, according to News12. The car was pulled over near Vaux Hall Road when the suspect told the officer that he had the AIDS virus, and then attempted to bite the officer, according to RLS Media. The suspect intentionally tried to strike the officer's female partner.

An investigation is ongoing.

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