Multi-County Chase Ends in Chatham Township

A high-speed pursuit through several counties ended early Saturday morning on Shunpike Road at the Hickory Square Shopping Center, Chatham Township Police said Monday.

The 56-year-old driver, Gene W. Wells, of Colonia, was charged by Officer Michael Sawyer with resisting arrest and aggravated assault on a Woodbridge officer, who was allegedly struck by Wells during the arrest, police said.

Wells also received 11 motor vehicle summonses for various violations in the township, police said.

According to Chatham Township Lt. Steven Hennelly, the pursuit began in Woodbridge when Wells allegedly fled from an officer in his 2004 GMC pickup truck that was pulling a trailer.

During the chase northbound on the Garden State Parkway, Wells allegedly rammed a Union Township police cruiser and faces charges in that municipality for aggravated assault on an officer, police said.

The pursuit continued onto Interstate 78 westbound and eventually into Chatham Borough and Chatham Township, police said.

At approximately 4:45 a.m., both the Chatham Township and Chatham Borough police departments were notified of the pursuit, Hennelly said.

The pursuit traveled eastbound on Fairmount Avenue into Chatham Borough, Hennelly said. The pursuit then turned left onto Watchung Avenue, and then back into the township on Shunpike Road, Hennelly said.

The pursued vehicle was traveling at about 35 to 40 miles per hour on the local roads, according to Kevin O'Shea, a spokesman for the Chatham Township Police Department.

The pursuit ended when the driver got his vehicle stuck in the Hickory Square Shopping Center, Hennelly said.

Union Township officers took Wells into custody, Hennelly said. Judge Gary Troxell set bail at $25,000.