Newark – Acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn A. Murray announced today that the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office Homicide/Major Crimes Task Force and the Professional Standards Bureau are investigating a carjacking and police pursuit that resulted in a fatality.
At approximately 6:41 a.m. today a silver Jaguar was carjacked on Ivy Street in the Vailsburg section of Newark.
That same vehicle was believed to be involved in a series of other felonies, including robberies and shootings. Newark Police pursued the car. The six occupants of the vehicle jumped out in the area of Hawthorne Avenue School which is located in the vicinity of Hawthorne Avenue and Clinton Place.
Three of the suspects were immediately apprehended, one was struck and killed by a police car and two others barricaded themselves in a home on West Runyon Avenue. The Newark Police SWAT team apprehended the two in the building.
At this time all five are in custody. They have not been formally charged yet. It appears the majority of the suspects are juveniles. The preliminary investigation uncovered two handguns in the vehicle at the scene.
The Essex County Prosecutor’s Office Professional Standards Bureau will review the pursuit. The Essex County Prosecutor’s Office Homicide/Major Crimes Task Force, with assistance from the Newark Police Department, will investigate the felonies.
The investigation is active and ongoing. Additional information will be released as it becomes available.
These are accusations. All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until they enter a guilty plea or are found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.