Paterson New Jersey Eluding ChargesA Passaic County grand jury indicted a Paterson NJ man who allegedly eluded police and then dragged a police officer with his vehicle.

The scary incident occurred in September 2015. A Paterson NJ patrol officer reportedly observed the suspect committing a traffic offense near the intersection of Jefferson Street and North 3rd Street in Paterson, New Jersey.

When the patrol cop tried to speak with the suspect a triple-shooting that law enforcement was investigating at the time, the suspect allegedly sped off and actually ended up dragging the Paterson NJ cop along the pavement. After the police officer freed himself from the car and fell to the ground, the suspect allegedly tried to crash into her with his car.

The police officer sustained numerous injuries during the incident, including serious injuries to her arm, hand, leg, and hip.

The suspect was eventually pulled over and arrested. He was subsequently charged with several crimes, including eluding police, aggravated assault, aggravated assault while eluding, aggravated assault on a police officer, and resisting arrest.

The 20-year-old suspect, who resides in Paterson, New Jersey, has now been indicted by a Passaic County grand jury on the criminal charges.

If the suspect is ultimately convicted of eluding, he would be subject to severe penalties. As set forth by N.J.S.A. 2C:29-2(b), anyone who operates a car and knowingly flees or attempts to elude law enforcement can be charged with a second degree crime when the flight creates a risk of death or injury to any person. A conviction on second degree eluding charges could result in a sentence of 5-10 years in NJ State Prison.

While the criminal charges remain pending, the suspect is being held at the Passaic County Jail on a $125K cash-only bail amount.

For further information about this case, see the NJ.com article, “Man Indicted for Allegedly Dragging Cop with Car While Eluding.”