Man in car chase faces deportation
Friday, October 19, 2007


CLIFTON -- A man who led police on a car chase early Thursday is in custody, facing criminal charges and deportation, authorities said.

Erico Brathwaite, 26, of Newark, led a pair of Clifton patrol officers north on the Garden State Parkway before his car, a 2002 Nissan Altima, broke down and stopped along the New York Thruway, police said.

The officers, Steve Farrell and Kristofer Eliasz, had picked up the chase from state troopers, who began pursuing Brathwaite on an outstanding warrant out of Orange, Detective Capt. Robert Rowan said Thursday.

The Newark man allegedly tried to ram the Clifton police cruiser, Rowan said.

Charges against Brathwaite include eluding police, aggravated assault on a police officer, attempting to cause a collision, resisting arrest, driving on a suspended license and reckless driving. Police also notified U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement when they discovered Brathwaite is an undocumented immigrant.

-- Ed Beeson

www.northjersey.com