SOMERVILLE, NJ (Somerset County) – Authorities announced the sentencing of Edwin O. Dimas-Guerrero, 22, of Plainfield in relation to an eluding that took place in Warren Township and Watchung Borough in 2022.
On Jan. 12, Dimas-Guerrero was sentenced by the Honorable Jonathan W. Romankow, J.S.C., to a term of 3 years in prison on charges of second-degree eluding, fourth-degree aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, third-degree criminal mischief, third-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and third-degree hindering apprehension, according to Somerset County Prosecutor John P. McDonald.
Dimas-Guerrero was also ordered to pay $18,807.94 in restitution to the Watchung Borough and Warren Township Police Departments for damage he caused to multiple police vehicles. He was also sentenced for the motor vehicle offense of reckless driving. He entered a guilty plea to the charges on Nov. 30, 2023.
The charges were the result of defendant Dimas-Guerrero’s increasingly dangerous driving conduct in Watchung Borough and Warren Township on the afternoon of Oct. 24, 2022. His actions unnecessarily risked lives and caused damage to multiple police vehicles and private property.
On Oct. 24, 2022, around 3:51 p.m., officers from the Berkeley Heights Police Department responded to the parking lot of the former Brook Hill Swim Club in Watchung for a report of vehicles driving recklessly and revving their engines at high volume.
There, Dimas-Guerrero was operating his modified 2019 Dodge Charger with no license plates displayed. Dimas-Guerrero’s vehicle was one of several vehicles. Upon seeing the Berkeley Heights police vehicle, Dimas-Guerrero and the other vehicles fled. Dimas-Guerrero drove into Watchung on Hillcrest Road.
Soon after, Watchung police observed Dimas-Guerrero’s vehicle travelling south on Hillcrest Road near the intersection with Valley Road and Stirling Road.
Dimas-Guerrero again ignored the signals from police to stop. Instead, he passed another vehicle on the right and accelerated westbound on Stirling Road toward Warren Township. While on Stirling Road, he drove at high speed and illegally passed vehicles by driving over the centerline into the oncoming lane. Due to the danger he posed to other motorists, police terminated the pursuit.
Shortly after the initial pursuit ended, Dimas-Guerrero encountered police again on Old Smalleytown Road in Warren. Police again signaled for him to stop. Again, he ignored the police vehicle’s lights and sirens and drove off toward Deer Path and High Oaks Drive.
On High Oaks Drive, another Watchung police officer observed Dimas-Guerrero’s vehicle travelling toward the officer at an estimated speed of 60 MPH. The officer stopped his patrol vehicle in the center of the roadway with emergency lights activated. Instead of stopping, however, he drove directly at the patrol vehicle without slowing, swerving only at the last moment to avoid a head-on crash.
Dimas-Guerrero then proceeded to the area of Guinard Drive and Spencer Lane. There, he attempted to hide from police by parking in a residential driveway.
A Warren Township police officer located Dimas-Guerrero’s vehicle on Guinard Drive. Dimas-Guerrero again attempted to flee. He exited the driveway and drove north on Guinard Drive to a T-intersection with Spencer Lane. There, he disregarded a stop sign and attempted to turn left. However, he stopped in the middle of his turn when his path was blocked by a Watchung Borough police vehicle. He hen tried to turn right. The Warren police vehicle blocked his path to the right.
Dimas-Guerrero, however, continued his extremely dangerous attempt to evade police by driving off the roadway and onto private property. With the Warren police vehicle still blocking his path, he drove back onto the roadway. In doing so, he steered his vehicle directly into the front driver’s side of the Warren patrol vehicle. During these maneuvers, he also struck a tree, causing his rear bumper to detach. While still engaged in the collision with the Warren patrol vehicle, he began driving east toward Hillcrest Road.
After he disengaged with the Warren patrol vehicle, Dimas-Guerrero’s path was then blocked by another Watchung police vehicle. Again, instead of stopping, he rammed his vehicle into the front driver’s side of a Watchung police vehicle. The impact forced Dimas-Guerrero to steer into a cul-de-sac on Dawn Way. There, multiple police vehicles surrounded him to prevent him from driving away. Dimas-Guerrero was removed from the car and placed under arrest.
On Dimas-Guerrero’s detached rear bumper, police discovered his license plate was concealed by an electronically controlled mechanical cover. The cover was lowered to prevent anyone from reading the license plate, which would reveal his identity as the registered owner.
The investigation was conducted by officers from the Watchung Borough Police Department, the Warren Township Police Department, and the Berkeley Heights Police Department.
