By: Richard L. Smith
Five suspects were taken into custody early Friday morning following a multi-town police pursuit involving a vehicle reported stolen out of Newark, according to information released by the East Hanover Police Department.
Authorities said officers were patrolling residential neighborhoods just after 1 a.m. when they located an Audi Q5 that had been reported stolen from Newark.
Police attempted a motor vehicle stop, but the driver fled northbound on Ridgedale Avenue toward Route 280, prompting a pursuit involving multiple East Hanover Police units.
During the chase, the vehicle struck a curb, causing a front tire to go flat and limiting the pursuit to lower speeds.
The pursuit continued through several neighboring municipalities before ending in Montville, where five occupants exited the vehicle and attempted to flee on foot.
Two suspects were apprehended immediately, while the remaining three were captured with the assistance of surrounding law enforcement agencies.
One suspect attempted to evade police by jumping into a pond but was arrested with the help of a Morris County Sheriff’s Office K-9 unit.
Following the arrests, all suspects were transported to East Hanover Police headquarters for processing. Police identified 19-year-old Quadee Tubbs of Irvington as one of the adults taken into custody; he was later transported to the Morris County Correctional Facility.
Another adult, 19-year-old Qumarrye Richardson of Bloomfield, along with three juveniles, was charged and released.
East Hanover Police credited the successful operation to cooperation among several agencies, including Parsippany, Montville, Fairfield, and North Caldwell police departments, the Morris County Sheriff’s Office K-9 Unit, and the New Jersey State Police.