Hackensack police track down stolen vehicle suspect by following footprints in snow
HACKENSACK, New Jersey (WABC) -- Police in New Jersey apprehended a suspect who allegedly stole a car on Saturday, all thanks to the discovery of fresh footprints in the snow.
Hackensack Police say they were able to track down 23-year-old Malik Evans after officers observed footprints in the snow that they followed and eventually led to them placing him under arrest.
Authorities say the incident began just after 7:30 a.m. when the driver of a vehicle belonging to local restaurant Pollos Mario reported it stolen from the area of Main Street and Bergen Street in Hackensack.
The victim later told police that he'd left the keys in the ignition, the doors unlocked and the car running.
After stealing the car, Evans then crashed the vehicle in the area of The Esplanade and Blanchard Terrace and fled the scene on foot, police say.
"The car was already crashed, the actor was already gone from the vehicle and at this point it was a foot pursuit," Hackensack Officer Michael Reo said.
Police arrived at the crash scene, where the victim pointed out the area in which the suspect ran off, which then resulted in officers following his fresh tracks in the fresh snow and arresting Evans after locating him hidden in between a storage bin.
"From the street to the backyard, you could see exactly the pattern," Officer Reo said. "At that point, there was one set of tracks which I knew was the suspect."
No injuries were reported.
Evans is charged with the theft of the motor vehicle and resisting arrest.
----------
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts
*
