Nutley police cruiser crashes into SUV in Clifton, officials say

NUTLEY, New Jersey (WABC) -- A Nutley police cruiser, apparently stolen by a suspect, crashed into an SUV in Clifton Friday morning.

The incident started on the Nutley-Clifton border just before 9 a.m.

Officials said they were responding to a report of a disturbed person near Cathedral Avenue and Orange Street in Nutley.

When police arrived, a man was yelling and not responding to officers.

At some point, authorities say the suspect carjacked the police car and drove away on Cathedral, which turns into Passaic Avenue in Clifton.

The suspect soon crashed into an SUV, just north of the Route 3 overpass on the Passaic Avenue ramp in Clifton.

Nutley police were right behind and tried to arrest the man who had stolen the police car, but it wasn't easy.

"They cornered him under Route 3, I could see them macing him, they were trying to subdue him," said eyewitness Tony Sanchez. "He kept kicking and they finally subdued him and then all the other cars converged..he was struggling with them, he was putting up a fight."

The suspect, 22-year-old Edgar Ordonez of Nutley, is facing multiple charges, including carjacking, aggravated assault and resisting arrest. Bail was set at $250,000.