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3 Arrested After 2 Separate Police Chases, Crashes In Paramus

PARAMUS, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- Three men were arrested in Paramus, New Jersey this week following two unrelated police pursuits.

The first pursuit began around 2:12 p.m. Wednesday, when Paramus police Officer Donald Liu tried to pull over a 2000 blue Audi model A with New York license plates for having a defective brake light. This was near G Fried Carpets at 495 Route 17 South, police said.

When Liu turned on his lights and sirens, the vehicle – which had two people inside – fled on Route 17 South, police said. The driver then exited onto the Garden State Parkway southbound at exit 163, police said.

Shortly afterward, the driver of the Audi tried to merge onto Route 80 West, where the car spun out and hit a guardrail, police said. The suspect tried to back off the guardrail, at which point it struck Officer Liu's squad car, police said.

Liu and several other Paramus officers arrested the driver – identified as Andre Felix, 18, of Paterson and the passenger – identified as Steven Pena, 20, of Paterson. Felix was charged with eluding police with a motor vehicle, and both suspects were charged with illegal possession of prescription drugs after pills were allegedly found in the car.

Both were released without bail, prosecutors said.

In a second unrelated incident at 4:02 p.m. the same day, Oakland, New Jersey police issued a bulletin for a black 2011 Volkswagen Jetta with New Jersey plates, police said. The driver was wanted in connection with a suspicious incident at a Walgreens drugstore, police said.

When Oakland police came up to the Jetta, the driver ran off, police said.

Paramus police Officer Thomas Holden saw the suspect vehicle on Route 17 South near Midland Avenue, police said. Holden tried to pull over the car, but the driver sped off, police said.

When the driver of the Jetta reached the Lukoil Gas Station at Route 17 South near Farview Avenue, the car jumped a curb and struck another car before fleeing onto Gertrude Avenue, police said.

The Jetta then turned into the Coach USA bus yard on Pleasant Avenue and fled into a storage yard belonging to Paramus Honda on the same street, police said.

While in the lot, the suspect struck three parked vehicles belonging to Paramus Honda, and also struck two Paramus police cars – significantly damaging one of them, police said.

One officer was injured and was taken to Hackensack University Medical Center in Hackensack for neck and back injuries. He was expected to recover, police said.

The suspect then plowed through a chain link fence and a locked gate, before heading back onto Pleasant Avenue, and then onto Passaic Street into Hackensack, police said.

Hackensack and New Jersey State Police followed the Jetta onto the New Jersey Turnpike, where it sped south, police said. The suspect struck yet another car near Exit 15W, and at that point was arrested by state police and East Rutherford police

The suspect – Nicholas Vizzone, 24, of Roseland, New Jersey – was taken to the Bergen County Jail and held without bail pending his first court appearance, police said. He was charged with reckless endangerment, eluding police with a motor vehicle and criminal mischief, and he was also the subject of an active warrant for a parole violation.

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