Police chase after officer dragged 50 feet following New Jersey dine and dash
CLIFTON, New Jersey (WABC) -- A dine-and-dash case in New Jersey led to a police officer being dragged about 50 feet by a fleeing car, which prompted a chase that involved several accidents.
Police say four teenagers skipped out on a bill at Applebee's on Route 3 in Clifton around 6:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Restaurant staff were able to detain one of them, but the other three fled on foot toward a nearby Stop and Shop.
Officers responded and searched the area, where they found a car driving the wrong way near the entrance/exit to the Clifton Commons.
They stopped the car and began questioning the two women inside, and that's when the driver allegedly hit the gas with the officer's arm still inside the vehicle.
A chase ensued at high speeds eastbound on Route 3 and then onto the New Jersey Turnpike South. At one point, a police cruiser was involved in a motor vehicle accident with a third party vehicle on the Turnpike.
The pursuit continued onto Route 280 West, during which time the driver allegedly continued to operate the vehicle recklessly and at high speeds. Police say she drove onto Bergen Avenue in Kearny, where she struck another vehicle head on but still refused to stop despite heavy front-end damage.
Authorities say the pursuit continued onto a dead end street and eventually into an elementary schoolyard in Kearny, where a brick wall prohibited the vehicle from traveling any further.
The suspects, identified as 19-year-old Chante Royal and 18-year-old Jasmine Ramsey, were arrested. The other two teens, 18-year-old Dellmicah Dennis and 18-year-old Damian Negron, were arrested at Clifton Commons.
Royal, the driver, is charged with aggravated assault, aggravated assault on a police officer, robbery, eluding, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, and possession of a weapons for unlawful purpose.
Ramsey, Dennis and Negron are charged with theft of services, while Negron also faces a charge of hindering apprehension after he allegedly provided a false identity.
The injured officer is expected to recover from his injuries.
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