A driver in a stolen car crashed into several vehicles and pedestrians while trying to flee from a police officer in Newark Thursday, police said.
East Orange police said two officers in an unmarked car chased the driver of the stolen Dodge Intrepid across the border into Newark around 1:45 p.m. Thursday when he crashed at Roseville Avenue and Seventh Avenue West.
Three pedestrians crossing the street were struck, including a mother and her school-age child. At least five cars were involved in the crash.
One woman who witnessed the crash said she saw a "very young" boy behind the wheel of the speeding car before he crashed.
The boy who was crossing the street with his mother was hit; the witness said he instantly started bleeding.
"It was very horrible," she said.
None of the injuries was life-threatening, authorities said.
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One person was taken into custody.
The chase has led neighbors to wonder whether a police chase for a stolen car is an appropriate tactic.
"They gotta know when to cut the chase off," said Tony Olajuwon, a neighborhood block captain. "Because these youth is on all types of substance, their minds are not right, they don't care who they run over to try to get away."
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