Two other suspects in a Toyota 4Runner then pulled along side the officer and attempted to veer him off the road.
That's when the officer from Newark fought back. He opened fire on the occupants of the Toyota.
Neither suspect was hit, but their SUV crashed into the side of a house on Grand Avenue. The off-duty officer jumped out of his vehicle and placed one of the suspects under arrest. Charges against him are pending.
Police say the suspects apparently followed the officer in the officer after he left his job with the Newark police.
Police are still looking for one of the suspects from the Toyota who ran off after the crash.
The Acura sped away, and authorities are also looking for that vehicle, occupied by three or four men.
The off-duty officer was taken to University Hospital for treatment of trauma.
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