SUV Crashes into 2 Howell, NJ, Police Vehicles and Flees, Cops Say

HOWELL — Two police officers narrowly dodged being hit by an SUV that drove off after a crash early Saturday morning.

The Howell police said that two cops stopped a vehicle near Aldrich Road and Aldrich Drive around 3 a.m. Each officer had driven their own police vehicle.

As the officers were talking to the driver, another SUV headed west on Aldrich Road drove by and hit both patrol vehicles.

The officers, identified as Patrolman Frank Galano and Patrolman Alexandru Nastase, were fortunately not injured. The Howell police on social media credited the officers' use of "extremely sound tactics and positioning of their vehicles" for preventing a tragedy.

Instead of staying at the scene, the suspect kept going westbound into Jackson, according to police. The crash disabled the police vehicles, preventing them from starting a pursuit.

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Believing they were looking for a Hyundai Tuscon with a missing passenger side mirror, police began an investigation. They said investigators would look through police dashcam and bodycam footage as well as traffic cameras.

Later Saturday, police said that they had found the suspect's vehicle. Authorities did not confirm the vehicle's make or model and did not announce an arrest or charges.

Townsquare Media has reached out to the Howell police for more information.