By Karen Zautyk
KEARNY–
A couple of sharp-eyed cops — and a cooperative dump truck — led to the recovery of a stolen vehicle, and the arrest of its driver, police reported.
The saga began just after midnight June 20, when Kearny Officers Tom Sumowski and Tom Pontrella received a report that a black Lexis had just been stolen from East Midland and Schuyler Aves. As they were en route to the scene, Police Chief John Dowie said, they saw the car heading south on Schuyler and tried to stop it.
Instead of cooperating, Dowie said, the driver continued down the avenue, turned onto the Bergen Ave. extension, then onto Harrison Ave. and Rt. 280 West — with the police in pursuit, patrol car lights and siren on and PA system sounding warnings.
Despite several tries by the officers to halt the Lexis, it continued on the highway for about four miles, Dowie said, until it attempted to turn off on Exit 13 in Newark. There, the driver found the exit ramp blocked by the dump truck and was forced to stop. He couldn’t back up either, since the police car was right behind him.
To read the full story, see this week’s issue of The Observer.
