Crime & Safety

Car Chase, Theft Suspect Arrested

The following information was obtained directly from Middletown Township Police Department records. It does not indicate a conviction.

Breaking news from Middletown Township Police Department Deputy Chief Craig Weber ...

This morning, Sept. 29, at approximately 10 a.m., members of the Middletown Police Detective Bureau and officers assigned to the Middletown Police Quality of Life Unit tracked down and arrested a suspect wanted for stealing a car in Belford and leading police on a high speed pursuit on Sept. 22. 

Police say the suspect, identified as Jaime Fontanez, 34, of Livingston St., Elizabeth, was responsible for stealing a 2010 Audi that was later recovered in Elizabeth. 

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As a result of an investigation, Middletown police were led to a residence on Lafayette Street in Elizabeth, where they located Fontanez and took him into custody with the assistance of the Elizabeth Police Dept. 

Also recovered there were two additional vehicles parked near the residence, which had been reported as stolen from Madison and Chatham, NJ. 

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Police say that Fontanez was found to be in possession of the keys to one of the other stolen cars at the time of his arrest. 

The Middletown police had previously arrested another suspect involved in the Sept. 22 chase That suspect was identified as Priscilla Velazco, 26, also of Livingston St. (a different home frpm Fontanez’s. 

Velazco was driving a stolen Land Rover at the time of her arrest, which had been taken from Englewood, NJ, and she ended up crashing it into a Hazlet building.

Middletown police are continuing to investigate possible links between Fontanez and a stolen car ring, which is believed to be responsible for the theft of more than 40 expensive luxury vehicles throughout the state. 

Police have charged Fontanez with theft, conspiracy, and eluding. His bail was set at $100,000 by the Honorable Richard English, Monmouth County Superior Court judge. 

Fontanez was also charged with receiving stolen property by the Elizabeth Police Department Additional complaints are expected to be signed by other police agencies. 

Fontanez remains in the custody of the Middletown police and will be remanded to the Monmouth County Correctional Institution, Freehold.

The investigation was led by Middletown Police Detective Lt. Stephen Dollinger,

with the assistance of Detective Laurence Schachtel, and officers Keith Hirschbein, Michael Reuter, and Nicholas Fenezia.


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