SOMERVILLE, N.J. (Somerset County) — A Bridgeton man wanted on a robbery warrant was arrested Friday after a violent struggle with police at the Somerville Train Station, according to the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office.
Somerset County Prosecutor John P. McDonald said Derick Donel Lewis Jr., 35, was taken into custody after law enforcement responded to a 911 call in Manville reporting a dispute in which Lewis allegedly threatened a child.
When officers arrived, Lewis had already fled, McDonald said. Police later learned he was wanted on a National Crime Information Center warrant from Asbury Park for robbery and considered armed and dangerous.
Detectives and officers from multiple agencies began a search, eventually locating Lewis in Somerville. When confronted at the train station, McDonald said, Lewis resisted arrest, attempted to grab a replica Glock handgun from his waistband, and assaulted several officers.
A Somerville police officer suffered bruising and swelling to her face and a broken finger during the encounter. Another officer was spit on, and two members of the prosecutor’s office sustained minor injuries while assisting in the arrest.
McDonald said the officers showed “the utmost restraint” in what could have been a deadly force situation.
Lewis was charged with three counts of second-degree aggravated assault on law enforcement, along with additional counts of aggravated assault, resisting arrest, and possession of an imitation handgun. He was treated for minor abrasions at a local hospital before being lodged at the Somerset County Jail pending a detention hearing.
McDonald thanked multiple assisting agencies, including the Somerville and Manville police departments, the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office K9 unit, New Jersey State Police Aviation Unit, and several municipal police departments.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office at (908) 575-3300, the Somerville Police Department at (908) 725-0331, or the Manville Police Department at (908) 725-1900. Anonymous tips can also be submitted via the STOPit app or Somerset County Crime Stoppers at 1-888-577-TIPS (8477).
