Man Who Led Police On 5-Mile Chase Through Springfield Found Guilty

Mountainside, NJ -- A Mountainside man, who led police on a chase through multiple towns until he crashed, was found guilty today, acting Union County Prosecutor Grace H. Park announced Friday.

Antonio Santos, 37, was convicted on charges of second-degree eluding police and fourth-degree possession of a weapon (his vehicle) following approximately 90 minutes of jury deliberation and a six-day trial before state Superior Court Judge Frederic R. McDaniel, according to Park.

Following the verdict, Santos also pleaded guilty to a charge of fourth-degree driving with a suspended license for a second or subsequent DWI conviction.

He will face up to 10 years in state prison upon sentencing, which is scheduled for May 6.

The incident occurred shortly after midnight on March 3, 2012 when a police officer attempted to pull over Santos' Range Rover in the area of Summit Road and Charles Street in Mountainside, according to Union County Assistant Prosecutor Meghan Tomlinson, who prosecuted the case.

"Instead, Santos led Mountainside Police Department and Springfield Police Department patrol units on a chase that covered approximately five miles, winding from that Mountainside intersection up Summit Road into a residential part of Springfield, back down Summit Road onto Route 22, and ultimately just off the highway, where he lost control of the vehicle and crashed," Tomlinson said.

Santos was arrested and found to have been driving on a suspended license.

During the trial, Santos claimed he was "pathologically intoxicated on multiple forms of prescription medication" at the time of the incident, a defense the jury rejected.

After the verdict, Santos’s bail was revoked and he was remanded to Union County Jail.