The charges
Reports describe 29 charges and traffic summonses against Justin R. Molinaro arising from two alleged police pursuits in New Jersey. Hopewell police filed 20 offenses tied to the earlier incident, including an eluding charge involving a risk of death or injury, according to Daily Voice and TAPinto.
The two incidents
The Hopewell incident began at about 4:30 p.m. on October 25 on Route 31 near Mine Road in Hopewell Township. Molinaro allegedly drove away from an attempted traffic stop, according to Daily Voice and TAPinto.
At about 7:15 p.m., Mahwah Officer Gino Perrelli attempted to stop a red 2017 Dodge Charger on northbound Route 17 for traffic violations, TAPinto reported. Mahwah Police Capt. Michael Blondin said a plate check showed the registered owner was wanted. The driver accelerated after Perrelli activated his emergency lights, then entered southbound Interstate 287. Police ended the pursuit as speeds rose, the report said.
New Jersey’s pursuit policy
New Jersey’s statewide policy permits officers to initiate a vehicular pursuit only when they reasonably believe the driver committed or attempted a specified crime, or posed an imminent threat to public or officer safety based on the driver’s actions before the attempted stop. It also calls for enhanced supervisory control, according to the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General. The reported facts do not establish whether either pursuit met those standards.
Mahwah police charged Molinaro with eluding and traffic violations. The summonses included speeding, careless driving, unsafe lane changes, following too closely, driving while suspended or revoked, and obstructed windshield visibility, according to Daily Voice.
Case status
Molinaro turned himself in at Mahwah police headquarters Wednesday evening and was taken to the Bergen County Jail pending a Superior Court hearing, TAPinto reported.
