Crime & Safety

Alleged Burglars Lead Police on High-Speed Chase on I-78

The following information was obtained directly from the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office. The charges do not indicate a conviction.

A pursuit of three alleged burglars Saturday night began on Martinsville Road and exceeded 100 miles per hour before the fleeing vehicle crashed on an Interstate 78 exit ramp in Warren Township, authorities said Monday.

Leon Roberts, 44, of Rock Creek Terrance, Engelwood; Marion Crowell, 47, of Voorhees Drive, Teaneck; and Steven Saulter, 44, of Vanbuskirk Road, also of Teaneck, were arrested and each charged with third-degree burglary, Saulter, the driver of the vehicle, was also charged with second-degree eluding authorities.

said Monday morning that the vehicle had entered I-78 eastbound at interchange 33 in Bernards after fleeing from a motor vehicle stop on Martinsville Road. Police pursued the vehicle until it crashed on the interchange 40 ramp, police said.

Find out what's happening in Basking Ridgewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

At that point, two of the three occupants of the vehicle were apprehended by authorities at the scene, township police said Monday morning.

Those two, Roberts and Cromwell, were lodged in the Somerset County Jail with bail set at $20,000, cash only, by Judge Allison E. Accurso, the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office said.

Find out what's happening in Basking Ridgewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Saulter was arrested Monday morning in Passaic County, the prosecutor's office said. Saulter was lodged in the Somerset County Jail with bail set at $100,000, cash only, by Judge Robert B. Reed, the prosecutor's office said.

According to the prosecutor's office, Bernards Township Patrol Officer Slawomir Zolnierowski conducted a motor vehicle stop of a 2002 Ford Explorer on Martinsville Road Saturday night at about 7:50 p.m., because the vehicle did not have a rear license plate, and the front passenger was seen not wearing a seat belt.

While approaching the driver's side window, Zolnierowski noticed an open black bag on the floor of the vehicle, next to the front passenger’s feet, the prosecutor's office said. Several pairs of mechanics gloves, silverware and gold jewelry was seen inside the bag, according to the prosecutor's office.

The officer began questioning the front-seat passenger, and requested that he step out of the vehicle, authorities said. Saulter then shifted the vehicle into drive and sped off to enter the eastbound ramp of I-78, the prosecutor's office said.

Zolnierowski pursued the vehicle, which he said was traveling in excess of 100 miles per hour and using the shoulder of the highway to overtake vehicles, according to the prosecutor's office.

According to the prosecutor's office, the vehicle "recklessly switched lanes several times, cutting off unsuspecting vehicles."

While attempting to drive onto the off ramp for Exit 40, at Hillcrest Road, the vehicle’s tires struck a concrete divider, the prosecutor's office said. The vehicle was forced to a stop, and all three occupants fled from the disabled Explorer, the prosecutor's office said.

The New Jersey State Police, Warren Township Police and Berkeley Heights Police arrived at the scene and assisted in apprehending Roberts and Crowell after a brief pursuit on foot, according to the prosecutor's office.

The Union County Sheriff’s Department K-9 Unit also arrived in an attempt to track Saulter, who managed to escape on Saturday night, authorities said.

Authorities said two black bags containing jewelry were found outside the Explorer's passenger-side doors.

Further investigation revealed the pieces of jewelry in the bags had been taken during a residential burglary on Loren Way in Warren Township earlier that evening, the prosecutor's office said.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.