Acting Bergen County Prosecutor Gurbir S. Grewal confirmed the arrest of 31 year-old Salvatore Deangelis, 31, of Harriman, New York on charges of eluding a police officer.
On Thursday, at approximately 2:00 p.m., a marked Paramus Police patrolman attempted a motor vehicle stop of a motorcyclist, later identified as Deangelis, for a traffic violation.
During this attempted stop, Deangelis sped away and members from the Paramus Police Department initiated a brief pursuit.
After a brief period, this pursuit was terminated on Route 4 in Paramus due to the speed and recklessness exhibited by Deangelis. Shortly thereafter, Deangelis was involved in a collision with a vehicle at Spring Valley Avenue and Coles Street in Maywood near the Hackensack border.
As a result of this collision, Deangelis was ejected from the motorcycle and sustained lower back injuries. He was transported to the Hackensack University Medical Center (HUMC) where he remains in stable condition. The driver of the vehicle was not injured.
A Hackensack patrolman was responding to the motorcycle accident scene in a marked police car via Summit Avenue. While enroute to the accident, the Hackensack patrolman collided with a vehicle at the intersection of Ross Avenue and Summit Avenue.
The driver of that vehicle was identified as 67 year-old John Parham, of Hackensack.
A second Hackensack patrolman arrived at that accident scene and immediately began rendering medical assistance to both parties who were involved in the accident.
Parham was transported to HUMC where he succumbed to his injuries.
Additionally, both Hackensack patrolmen were transported to HUMC. The officer involved in the accident was admitted for non-life-threatening injuries he sustained as a result of the collision and the second patrolman was admitted for heat exhaustion he suffered while rendering aid to both victims.
The circumstances of this crash remain under investigation by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Fatal Accident Investigation Unit.
Deangelis has been criminally charged with a violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:29-2b, eluding an officer, a second degree crime punishable for five to ten years in jail.
He is currently at the HUMC in the custody of the Paramus Police Department. His bail was set at $50,000.00 with no 10% option by Paramus Municipal Judge Joseph Mecca.
Deangelis is scheduled to be arraigned on April 4, 2016 in Central Judicial Processing.