New Jersey

Car Thief Fleeing Cops Crashes on Outerbridge Crossing

The Outerbridge Crossing was shut down Monday evening after a driver trying to escape police crashed on the bridge, police sources say.

The driver of a white SUV was being chased by police from New Jersey when the driver proceeded onto the Outerbridge Crossing heading toward Staten Island, sources say.

The driver tried to make a U-turn and cut across the center median when the suspect hit another vehicle, a Jeep, head-on. 

Chopper 4 over the scene initially showed heavy backups on both sides of the crossing, as long as two miles. The New York-bound lanes have since reopened but the New Jersey-bound lanes are still heavily delayed. 

The owner of the white SUV, 62-year-old William Cruz, told News 4 his Ford Edge was stolen. He says he was picking up kitchen countertops from a friend's business at Fayette and State streets in Perth Amboy, and was returning to his vehicle -- which was running, but the key was in Cruz's hand, he says -- when he suddenly heard his vehicle beep twice and then take off. 

Cruz called police, who began chasing the driver. 

"I'm running and I'm calling 911," Cruz said. 

Cruz ran several blocks but couldn't keep up. 

He says his vehicle needs to have a key in the car in order to go and he doesn't understand why the car didn't shut off when he locked it. 

"How did it open for him when he had no key?" Cruz said. 

The suspect is in custody, Port Authority police say. 

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