Prosecutors: 4 Indicted on Charges Stemming From Police Chase

A group of four Jersey City men are accused of taking part in a May 23, 2010 crime spree that began with a Freehold Township man being held at gunpoint and ended with a two-car collision in Manalapan, according to the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office (MCPO).

A grand jury returned a 23-count indictment Monday against Justin Bello, 21; Troy Clarke, 33; Kevin Burke, 31; and Anthony Serrano, 37.

Prosecutors said the four men drove a Ford Explorer to a Freehold Township man’s home, where Clarke allegedly pointed a handgun at the victim and ordered him to his knees. A citizen called 911 to report the incident and the defendants fled the scene in their vehicle, an MCPO press release said.

Freehold Township and Manalapan police pursued the Ford Explorer on Route 9 North. The defendants allegedly threw the gun from the vehicle while travelling on the highway. A citizen later located the weapon, which officers later recovered.

The MCPO said the defendants’ car was speeding and weaving in and out of traffic during the pursuit. The Ford Explorer struck another car and then a utility pole. The men allegedly tried to flee the vehicle, law enforcement officials. However, Clarke, Burke and Serrano were arrested and taken into custody after the crash, and Bello was arrested near a Manalapan condominium complex the next day.

The car struck by the Ford Explorer carried five passengers, three of whom were children. Four of the passengers sustained injuries; one child required reconstructive surgery.

Bello was indicted on second-degree charges of eluding law enforcement and aggravated assault, each of which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. He also faces the following fourth-degree charges, which each carry maximum 18-month prison sentences: two counts of assault by auto, one count of obstruction of justice, and one count of resisting arrest.

Clark was indicted second-degree counts of possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, unlawful possession of a weapon, and eluding law enforcement; a third-degree charge of hindering arrest, which carries a maximum prison sentence of five years; fourth-degree counts of aggravated assault by pointing a firearm, resisting arrest, and obstruction of justice.

Burke and Serrano each face a second-degree charge of eluding law enforcement and fourth degree charges of resisting arrest and obstruction of justice.

The Freehold Township Police Department, the Manalapan Police Department and the MCPO conducted a joint investigation that led to the arrests and charges.