A multi-city 'cat and mouse' police pursuit, that involved two vehicles and touched off in several parts of Essex County, came to an end when Irvington Police captured several teenaged suspects on Wednesday morning.
Police in Newark made several attempts to stop the young drivers of an Audi and Jeep Cherokee stolen from Jersey City and Elizabeth when the suspects played a game of 'chicken,' recklessly barreling the vehicles down streets at high rates of speed that bordered the city, including Irvington Township.
Police say around 8:55 a.m., residents in Newark's South Ward ran for their lives while in crosswalks as drivers of the two vehicles sped across intersections and narrowly striking individuals crossing the streets.
According to police, one of the cars crashed into a parked and unoccupied vehicle at 198 Avon Avenue then sped away from the scene to meet up with the other vehicle which was participating in the high chance game that could have caused severe injuries.
At approximately 9:30 a.m., police in the county went on high alert after residents dialed 911 when they said suspects inside the cars were pointing guns from the vehicles' windows.
According to Irvington Police officials, just before 10:15 a.m., officers were able to box both vehicles near the intersection of Myrtle and 18th avenues, where cops arrested five juveniles who resided in Newark.
It is not clear if the vehicles had weapons inside and police reported no injuries.
Police believe the suspects are wanted for multiple armed robberies in the Essex and Hudson county region.
Irvington's Mayor Tony Vauss lauded officers in his town for the arrest then applauded their ability to continuously maintain residents' safety and security in the township while they worked with police in Newark and county authorities to eradicate crime.