Union
Police chased three robbery suspects down Route 22 through Hillside and
into Newark on Wednesday. Above, a Union police car in a file photoStar-Ledger file UNION — Three men were
arrested Wednesday night after they attacked a Union Township man
shoveling his driveway, and then led police on a chase down Route 22,
according to township police.
Keywon Savage and Jesse Ward, both 18-year-old Irvington residents,
and Kawuan Nickels, 22, of Tobyhanna, Pa., approached a 57-year-old man
who was clearing snow from his Hillside Avenue driveway around 11 p.m.
Wednesday, said Union Police Capt. Scott Breslow.
The man told police the suspects jumped on him from behind, punched
him and kicked him, and took his money and car keys, Breslow said. The
man was taken to Union Hospital for injuries he sustained to his face.
One of the victim's relatives described the "getaway car" to police,
and Union Police Sgt. Michael Wittevrongel spotted it leaving the area
and attempted to stop it, Breslow said.
The car, a black '99 Pontiac Grand Am being driven by Ward, sped away
from Wittevrongel and got onto Route 22 eastbound. Wittevrongel pursued
the suspects as they drove through Hillside and into Newark, Breslow
said.
Ward eventually lost control of the car while navigating "S" turns on
the highway in Newark, prior to Weequahic Park, Breslow said. The spot
has been the site of many crashes over the years, he noted.
The Grand Am spun out of control and struck the center divider, as
well as the rear of another car. With the car disabled, assisting
officers arrested the three men after a brief tussle, according to
Breslow.
All three men were charged with robbery and resisting arrest, and
Ward, the driver, was additionally charged with eluding police and other
motor vehicle violations, Breslow said.
Police determined the car, which was owned by a family member of
Ward, was involved in the the theft of a cell phone at a Springfield
Avenue gas station around 1 a.m. the same day.
The men are suspects in that theft as well, and police are now
investigating whether they were responsible for other recent crimes,
Breslow said.
All three men are being held at the Union Police Department, pending
transfer to the Union County jail. Bail was set at $100,000 for each of
them
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