The incident unfolded around 1 p.m. on Tuesday, beginning as a police pursuit that started in Bloomfield.
Mailman Anthony Gordon was out delivering just a few blocks away when he saw the cops chasing after someone.
"Four law enforcement cars - they came down with sirens on. High speed," he said.
The chase eventually ended in East Orange on Park Avenue between Washington Street and Glenwood Avenue in the Marin Park area.
The car being chased crashed into a civilian vehicle before careening into two other vehicles, including a parked ambulance.
The driver of the vehicle being chased died from injuries suffered in the crash.
Officials say two drivers from other vehicles suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
Resident Raheem Rogers says he sits on the porch all the time and watches people speed through the area.
"It's like a raceway. People just speed through here," he said.
Residents say a police pursuit is extra risky in the area because of how many pedestrians there are. There's a day care and bank nearby, and a playground right across the street.
Gordon said it could've been him that got hit.
"I'm just happy that I wasn't in the area when it happened because this is my delivery area also, so, I'm just happy because I could have gotten hit too," he said.
The New Jersey Attorney General's Office is investigating the crash.
Editor's note: A previous version of this story said a pedestrian was killed, but has been corrected based on updated information from authorities.
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