Police in Newark issued a warrant for the arrest of Mr. Carlos Martinez, 35, of Newark, on charges of Aggravated Assault on a Police Officer, Eluding, Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose (vehicle), Receiving Stolen Property (vehicle) and three counts of Criminal Mischief in an incident that occurred Friday.
According to a statement released by Newark Police Director Anthony Ambrose, shortly before 10:30 p.m., police observed a man on the city’s surveillance cameras conducting what appeared to be narcotics transactions from a blue 2015 Honda Accord parked in the 100-block of Mt. Prospect Avenue.
Director Ambrose said officers responded to the area and the suspect, unaware of police presence, drove the vehicle in reverse, striking a Chrysler 200 parked behind the suspect's vehicle.
Authorities say, the suspect then drove the vehicle forward, nearly striking a Newark Police Division member and subsequently striking a marked police vehicle along with a silver Hyundai Electra.
The suspect again drove the car in reverse, striking the Chrysler 200 behind him for a second time then accelerated forward, again hitting the police vehicle and Hyundai police said.
According to Director Ambrose, the police vehicle was moved by the suspect vehicle as the suspect fled, eluding apprehension.
Police say they recovered the suspect's vehicle on Greenwood Lake Street a short time later according to authorities. A check of the vehicle's registration came back stolen on June 21st.
Detectives investigating this incident have identified Carlos Martinez as a suspect in this incident and secured a warrant for his arrest. Martinez is 5’5” tall and weighs about 150 lbs. He has a light complexion with black hair and brown eyes police said.
While police are actively searching for Martinez, they seek the public’s assistance in quickly locating and removing him from Newark streets.
Director Ambrose is urging anyone with information about the whereabouts of Carlos Martinez to call the Department's 24-hour Crime Stopper tip line at 1-877-NWK-TIPS (1-877-695-8477) or 1-877-NWK-GUNS (1-877-695-4867). All anonymous Crime Stopper tips are kept confidential and could result in a reward.