Off-duty N.J. cop led police on high-speed pursuit, authorities say

https://www.nj.com/bergen/2020/10/off-duty-nj-cop-led-police-on-high-speed-pursuit-authorities-say.html

Off-duty N.J. cop led police on high-speed pursuit, authorities say

Updated Oct 15, 2020; Posted Oct 15, 2020
By Noah Cohen | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

An off-duty Saddle Brook police officer fled a traffic stop and led fellow officers in Bergen County town on a high-speed car chase, authorities said Thursday.

The officer, Andres Morales, was charged with eluding after he took off from Ridgefield police when they tried to pull over the speeding BMW he was driving around 2:30 a.m. Oct. 3, according to Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella. Authorities also said several other officers were suspended as part of an ongoing probe into the incident.

“The driver, later identified as (Morales) refused to pull over and fled the police at a high rate of speed, subsequently driving on State Routes 46 and 80,” Musella said in a statement. “The pursuit was later terminated due to the excessive speed and the danger to the pursuing officer and the general public.”

The 29-year-old officer was charged after the prosecutor’s office’s confidential investigations unit, which handles allegations against officers, “received information” last Thursday about the incident, according to Musella. It was unclear how investigators identified Morales as the alleged driver.

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