EAST HANOVER TOWNSHIP, N.J. (Morris County) — A pursuit involving a stolen Audi Q5 ended in Montville Township early Thursday morning with five people taken into custody, according to East Hanover Township Police Chief Christopher F. Cannizzo.
Cannizzo said the incident began shortly after 1 a.m., when officers on patrol in a residential neighborhood in East Hanover Township located a stolen Audi that had been reported taken out of Newark. When police attempted a motor vehicle stop, the vehicle fled north on Ridgedale Avenue toward Route 280, with additional East Hanover units assisting.
While fleeing, the vehicle struck a curb, causing a front tire to go flat and keeping the pursuit at relatively low speeds, Cannizzo said. The chase continued through multiple towns before ending in Montville, where all five occupants ran from the vehicle.
According to police, two individuals were quickly apprehended by East Hanover officers. With assistance from several surrounding agencies, the remaining three were also taken into custody. One of the accused reportedly jumped into a pond and was arrested with help from a Morris County Sheriff’s Office K-9 team.
Cannizzo said all five suspects were brought back to East Hanover police headquarters for processing. Two adults — identified by police as Qumarrye Richardson, 19, of Bloomfield, and Quadee Tubbs, 19, of Irvington — along with three juveniles, were charged in connection with the incident. Richardson and the juveniles were released, while Tubbs was transported to the Morris County Correctional Facility.
Cannizzo thanked local and county agencies that assisted in the pursuit and arrests, including Parsippany, Montville, Fairfield and North Caldwell police, the Morris County Sheriff’s Office K-9 Unit, and the New Jersey State Police.
“All were instrumental in safely bringing this incident to a conclusion,” Cannizzo said.
