BERGEN COUNTY, N.J. — A suspect involved in a string of carjackings and a confrontation with police was arrested early Sunday morning after a series of connected incidents throughout Bergen County, authorities said. The South Hackensack Police Department and Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Special Investigations Squad are leading the investigation.
At approximately 2:34 a.m. on Sunday, South Hackensack police responded to a motor-vehicle crash on Route 46. The occupant of the crashed vehicle abandoned the car and attempted to steal another nearby vehicle but failed. The suspect then successfully committed an armed carjacking of a different vehicle before fleeing the scene.
The initial investigation revealed that the vehicle involved in the crash had been stolen in an earlier armed carjacking in New York City, officials said.
A short time later, the carjacked vehicle was found disabled on the George Washington Bridge. Officers from the Port Authority Police Department responded and located the suspect, who was armed with a knife. The suspect attacked the officers and attempted to steal a police patrol vehicle before being apprehended.
Three Port Authority police officers sustained non-life-threatening injuries during the confrontation and were treated at a local hospital. They have since been released.
The suspect was also taken to a hospital and remains in custody pending charges. His identity is being withheld while initial charges are filed in Bergen County Superior Court, and the investigation continues.
Further details about the incident and the suspect’s background are expected to be released as the investigation develops.