Authorities are currently conducting an investigation into a police pursuit that resulted in a pedestrian being fatally struck in East Orange, New Jersey.
Around 1 p.m. on Tuesday, the events unfolded as a police chase that initially began in Bloomfield.
While on his mail delivery route, Anthony Gordon spotted police officers pursuing an individual just a few blocks away.
“He said four law enforcement cars came rushing down with their sirens blaring and at high speed.”
During the chase, it finally came to a halt in East Orange. In the Marin Park area, precisely on Park Avenue between Washington Street and Glenwood Avenue, a pedestrian was hit.
The crash involved a tan vehicle, a black sedan, and an ambulance. When the sedan collided with the ambulance, the airbags in the latter were deployed.
During an interview with Eyewitness News reporter Michelle Charlesworth, a witness disclosed that the individual who got hit was walking on the sidewalk at the time of the accident.
According to witness Raheem Rogers, the driver was speeding up Prospect at a rate of at least 60 mph. As he attempted to make a left turn by the school past Glenwood, he hit another car and ultimately struck a pedestrian. Rogers recounted the events leading up to the accident with precision.
According to Rogers, he witnessed authorities taking a man into custody.
According to him, he spends most of his time sitting on the porch, observing people recklessly speeding through the neighborhood.
“He said that it’s like a raceway, with people speeding through here,” remarked the speaker.
According to locals, the high volume of pedestrians makes a police pursuit particularly hazardous in the vicinity. The area is home to a day care center and a bank, while a playground is situated directly across the street.
According to Gordon, he could have been the one who was hit.
He expressed his relief, saying that he was grateful for not being in the area when the incident occurred. As the delivery area was also his working location, he acknowledged that he could have been a victim as well.
It is still unclear who the police were pursuing and the reason behind it.
The crash is currently under investigation by the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office.