WOODCLIFF LAKE, N.J.—Multiple units from Montvale assisted their Woodcliff Lake colleagues after a private car sale turned south on the afternoon of Jan. 6 at The Bristal at Woodcliff Lake parking lot.
Officers were dispatched on a report of a dispute in progress over money.
Upon his arrival, the reporting officer observed a vehicle traveling northbound driving erratically—and a second car with the driver pointing emphatically at the first car.
Police pursued the first car, with the second car following. The lead car allegedly made unsafe lane changes and drove recklessly, aggressively cutting across two lanes of traffic and pulling into the parking lot of 520 Chestnut Ridge Road.
It continued to drive fast through and around the back of the lot, failing to stop. The driver continued to exit the back of the buildings and once again drove recklessly through the lot.
“I observed the direction he was traveling and realized he had only one way out of the parking lot. I then positioned my patrol vehicle so that the it would block his lane of travel,” the officer reports.
Blocked, the suspect stopped his vehicle directly in front of the patrol car. The second car then pulled up behind the first, with its driver—whom we’ll identify for privacy as Ms. D, 32, from Spring Valley, N.Y.—then running up to the first driver, who had a passenger.
The officer ordered her to stop and go back to her vehicle, and she complied.
An assisting officer arrived, and officers from Montvale Police Department were requested to further assist. The reporting officer ordered the occupants of both vehicles to show their hands and place them on their dashboards.
After multiple commands, all the occupants complied with the officer’s order. Police officers from Montvale began to arrive on scene, and the Woodcliff Lake officers approached the lead vehicle, driven by Najee Patron, 21, from Clifton.
While speaking with him, officers advised they were following behind his vehicle for a while, attempting to stop him.
He reportedly replied, “Yeah, I know,” and stated that Ms. D. was chasing him for an unknown reason.
Both occupants of Patron’s car were asked to step out. They were patted down for officers’ safety.
Patron stated that he was supposed to meet Ms. D to show her a car that she was interested in purchasing. He then said that she became irate and tried to block his car in a parking spot located at The Bristal.
As she attempted to block him in, he said, he reversed his vehicle and fled the scene.
Patron, asked for identification, said he does not have a driver’s license because it is suspended. He also stated that he believed there was a warrant for his arrest out of Montclair.
At this time, multiple officers from Montvale were on scene assisting with the second vehicle. Officers radioed Central Dispatch to confirm Patron and his passenger as suspended.
Officers reported Patron exhibited signs of being nervous and jittery. He agreed to a search, which turned up no contraband.
An officer from Montvale was requested to stand by with Patron as the reporting officer questioned caller Ms. D and her two passengers, Ms. and Mr. J.
They stated that they discovered a vehicle for sale on LetGo and contacted an unknown female seller about it. The seller stated that if they sent her $300 via Venmo as a deposit that she could pick the car up.
Ms. D. said she transferred the $300 to the woman and planned to meet in the parking lot of The Bristal in order to follow the seller to the location of the sale car. Ms. D stated she parked in the rear parking lot of The Bristal to wait from the sellers to arrive at the 5:30 p.m.
While waiting, Ms. D stated that she called the police for assistance to keep the peace while the transaction occurred. Patron and his passenger arrived early and parked next to them. Patron’s passenger got out of his vehicle and approached Ms. D in her vehicle.
Patron’s passenger allegedly heard Ms. D. on the phone with the police then ran back to his vehicle.
Ms. D told police she did not want Patron to leave before the arrival of the police because she believed she was a victim a scam. As a result, she decided to reverse her vehicle out of its spot and attempt to block Patron in.
Patron then put his vehicle in reverse and struck Ms. D’s vehicle before pulling forward and fleeing.
At this point, Ms. D followed him and was able to flag down the officer.
The reporting officer was able to corroborate Ms. D’s account. Bristal security footage further corroborated it.
Central Dispatch then advised that both Patron and his passenger were suspended and had warrants out for their arrest from Montclair.
The two men said they weren’t sure they could post bail.
A Woodcliff Lake detective arrived and was briefed. The reporting officer placed Patron under arrest. He and his former passenger were put into separate police cars and were transported to police headquarters.
Patron’s car was towed.
Central Dispatch stated that Montclair police decided to release the two on their own recognizance. Both parties were advised. That said, Patron would not be released until he was done being processed by Woodcliff Lake.
The other man was not charged and was allowed to make a phone call to be picked up.
While in his cell, being fingerprinted, photographed, and processed, Patron allegedly was loud and irate throughout the process. He continued to yell and slam his hands on the bed for a while before falling asleep.
A detective ran Patron’s public safety assessment, or PSA, which calculates its scores on a scale of one to six, with higher scores indicating a higher level of risk. Patron’s score came back with a four on both sections.
At this point, the detective called the on-call prosecutor, who advised officers that the complaint was to be put on a warrant and that Patron was to be transported to Bergen County Jail. A judge signed off and issued the warrant.
Upon arrival to Bergen County Jail, Patron was transferred into their custody.
