3-year-old boy killed when car being chased by Newark police jumps curb

NEWARK (WABC) -- A 3-year-old boy was killed in a car crash in Newark during an apparent police chase Friday morning.

Prosecutors say the incident began just after 7:30 a.m., while Newark police officers were attempting to apprehend 22-year-old Troy Ruff, who was wanted on aggravated assault and weapons charges stemming from an incident in May.

Ruff was spotted driving a 2002 Hyundai Sonata, but he failed to pull over. With the officers following, police say he then struck a car on 15th Avenue. The Hyundai mounted a curb and struck 3-year-old Rahmere Tullus, who was standing on the sidewalk with his mother.

He was pronounced dead at the scene.

"My son was the sweetest child in this world," dad Cordell Tullis said. "They should've never been chasing him like that. (It) would have never happened and my son would still be here."

Ruff was arrested and is charged with aggravated manslaughter, vehicular homicide and eluding the police, in addition to the charges stemming from the May incident.

Newark Mayor Ras Baraka released a statement on the child's death:

"The City of Newark has suffered a tragic loss today, with the death of three-year-old Rahmere Tullis, who was apparently struck and killed by a car being driven by a wanted person being pursued by Newark police officers. The suspect failed to pull over, struck a car on 15th Avenue, and mounted a curb, killing young Rahmere, as he stood on the corner with his mother.

This tragedy touches us on so many levels and the loss of young Rahmere is felt in our homes, our neighborhoods, our communities and throughout Newark. The way in which his life was taken is not just a crime against the laws of the land but a crime against humanity.

This morning, I was speaking to high school students. The fact that this young child will never have the chance to sit in a high school assembly touches me as a father, an educator, and a member of this community. This child belonged to all of us and the City mourns with his family. All of Newark joins in grieving with and caring for the Tullis family in their hour of pain, now and in the future. "