A suspect wanted in New Jersey for running down a police officer during a Sunday night traffic stop has been arrested nearly 100 miles away in Connecticut.
The driver accused of punching a Belleville police officer during a traffic stop the night before was located around 2 a.m., Connecticut State Police said early Monday. Police reportedly located the suspect’s car in New Britain and took the driver into custody overnight.
Two police officers attempted to engage a driver at a traffic stop near Branch Brook Park, New Jersey, around 9 a.m. Sunday.
Belleville Mayor Frank Vélez said one of the officers opened fire after being shot during a traffic stop near Branch Brook Park.
“According to preliminary information, a Belleville police officer was struck by a vehicle while trying to apprehend a fleeing suspect,” Velez wrote on Facebook. “An officer then fired his weapon and the suspect fled the scene.”
The mayor added that the officer who was hit by the driver suffered injuries that are not believed to be life-threatening.
The mayor’s statement followed chaos throughout the night, with a heavy police presence in the area of Mill Street and Union Avenue near the park.
A man at the scene said his friend was in the area and reported seeing an officer being hit by a car, then drawing a gun and firing a gun, and provided a description similar to the mayor’s.
“So my best friend texted me and he was on his way to the football game,” said David Vazquez of Newark. “He saw a police officer get run over by a car and he said, ‘Here, like there were a few shots fired,’ and then those shots hit the back of his car and shattered his window, which you know is crazy.”
Police have not yet released the identity of the suspect.
This story was originally reported and broadcast by NBC New York. Artificial intelligence tools helped convert the story into a digital article, which NBC New York reporters edited for publication.