North Jersey jewel heist ends with four arrests

Two officers were hurt when the getaway car crashed into a cruiser after a chase.

Associated Press
Posted: April 10, 2011

WYCKOFF, N.J. - Four men involved in a robbery in a North Jersey jewelry store Saturday were captured after their getaway vehicle collided with a police cruiser after a chase through several towns.

Two Hawthorne police officers were injured during the chase, which went through communities in Passaic and Bergen Counties. But it was not immediately clear whether any of the suspects were injured in the crash.

Authorities said the robbery at Hartgers Jewelers in Wyckoff occurred just before noon.

Wyckoff Police Chief Benjamin Fox told the Record of Woodland Park one of the men entered the store and briefly looked around before heading to the door. But instead of leaving, he allowed two other men - apparently wearing stocking masks - to enter.

The three men then used at least one sledgehammer to smash display cases and break into a safe before fleeing with watches, rings, necklaces, and other items.

The men grabbed some of the customers and threw them to the floor, Fox said, adding that some of the store owners were roughed up during the robbery, which lasted less than a minute.

The three men ran to a sport-utility vehicle driven by a fourth accomplice, who sped off. Police from Wyckoff and several neighboring towns pursued the SUV.

One man who jumped from the vehicle was captured in Franklin Lakes. The chase continued a few more minutes, mostly along stretches of Route 208. It ended when the SUV driver turned onto a dead-end street, then tried to cut through a strip mall parking lot and collided with a Hawthorne police cruiser driven by Sgt. Mark Michal-ski.

Michalski suffered neck and back injuries in the crash, which totaled his cruiser. Hawthorne Patrolman Joseph Carr suffered hand, neck, and back injuries when the SUV struck his car during the pursuit.

Both officers were taken to Valley Hospital in Ridgewood, where they were treated and released later Saturday.

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