Police car reportedly responding chase call
HACKENSACK -- A 67-year-old city man died after a crash with a Hackensack police car that was responding to another wreck involving a motorcyclist who fled from police Thursday afternoon, authorities said.
The police unit was heading to the motorcycle accident near the Hackensack-Maywood line when it was involved in a crash with the Hackensack man's sedan at Summit and Ross Avenues, according to the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office.
Authorities have not released the name of the sedan driver who died.
Paramus Police Chief Kenneth Ehrenberg said officers with his department first tried to stop the 2016 Yamaha R1 motorcycle around 2 p.m. after they spotted it speeding and zig-zagging between lanes on Route 17 northbound, near Ridgewood Avenue. Officers could not determine the plate number on the bike's paper vehicle tag, he added.
"The officers attempted to stop the motorcycle using their lights and sirens. Instead the motorcycle sped away at a faster rate of speed north on the highway," Ehrenberg said.
The motorcycle made a U-turn at Linwood Avenue before heading south on Route 17, according to the chief. The original Paramus police officers who tried to stop the motorcycle could not catch up to it.
Several minutes later, the motorcycle sped past another police unit, he said. That officer also tried to stop the motorcycle.
The Paramus police unit followed the motorcycle as it went southbound on Route 17 before slowing down and entering the Garden State Plaza parking lot, Ehrenberg added. It went into the Ikea store parking lot nearby, back to Route 17 southbound and to Route 4 eastbound.
Ehrenberg said Paramus police lost the motorcycle near the borough's border with River Edge and called off the chase. The department also broadcast an alert to area law enforcement agencies to be on alert for the fleeing vehicle, he added.
Hackensack cop car involved in crash
Maywood police soon reported the motorcycle had apparently crashed into a car on Spring Valley Road in their town, according to authorities.
"At this time witnesses stated that the motorcycle was not being chased by the police at the time of the crash but was speeding. Paramus officers arrived at the crash site and identified the driver and motorcycle as being the same as the earlier pursuit," Ehrenberg said in an email.
Police identified the motorcyclist as Salvatore Deangelis, 31, of Harriman, New York. He suffered "moderate" non life-threatening injuries, the chief added.
Deangelis was charged with criminal eluding and motor vehicle offenses, including reckless driving, careless driving and improper display of a license plate. Police said he remained hospitalized at Hackensack University Medical Center, with bail set at $50,000.
The prosecutor's office said it would release further information about the fatal collision on Friday.
Noah Cohen may be reached at ncohen@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @noahyc. Find NJ.com on Facebook.