PARAMUS, N.J.—A Philadelphia man allegedly rammed Paramus Police vehicles with a U-Haul van after officers tried to stop it for causing a hazard to the motoring public, Paramus Police Deputy Chief Deputy Chief Robert M. Guidetti said.
On Thursday, Nov. 14 10:40 p.m., New York State Police reported that a U-Haul van bearing Arizona registration had fled from a theft that occurred at a Walmart in Cairo, N.Y., Guidetti said.
The U-Haul—which police observed enter Paramus driving on two front rims, a rear flat tire, with its front bumper dragging on the roadway—deliberately rammed the vehicles, Guidetti said.
Once the U-Haul came to a stop, defendant Mark Simpson, 31, fled on foot and was quickly apprehended by Officers Michael Mordaga and William Stallone, said Guidetti. No injuries were reported to the officers or defendant, Guidetti said.
Simpson is charged with five counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon; one count of eluding in a motor vehicle, resisting arrest and possession of stolen property. He was sent to Bergen County Jail pending a bail hearing and is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, said Guidetti.