This is a major update to our earlier report on the Belleville officer struck by a fleeing driver near Branch Brook Park, when the suspect was still at large. Read the earlier report
BELLEVILLE, New Jersey — A suspect wanted in New Jersey for allegedly running down a police officer during a traffic stop has been arrested nearly 100 miles away in Connecticut, NBC New York reported on Monday, October 26. Connecticut State Police said early on Monday that the driver accused of hitting a Belleville officer during the traffic stop the night before had been located at around 2 a.m., and troopers tracked down the suspect's car in New Britain and took the driver into custody overnight.
Connecticut State Police said troopers located the suspect's vehicle in New Britain at approximately 2 a.m. on Monday and took the driver into custody, according to a second report of the arrest on Monday. New Britain is nearly 100 miles from the New Jersey location where the incident occurred. Authorities have not publicly identified the suspect in the information provided, and no allegation against the driver has been proven.
The incident unfolded on Sunday evening, when two Belleville police officers attempted to stop or engage a driver near Branch Brook Park. During the encounter, one officer was struck by a vehicle, prompting another officer to discharge a firearm, Belleville Mayor Frank Vélez said. 'According to preliminary information, a Belleville police officer was struck by a vehicle while attempting to apprehend a fleeing suspect. An officer subsequently discharged their firearm, and the suspect fled the scene,' Vélez wrote on Facebook.
The mayor added that the injuries to the officer struck by the driver were not believed to be life-threatening. The mayor's statement followed a night of heavy police presence near the park, in the area of Mill Street and Union Avenue, as the overnight search for the driver continued into Connecticut.