BMW SUV Crashes In Palisades After NJ Burglary, Pursuit, Police Say

The incident began in Bergen County, around 8:40 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 10, in Closter and ended in Rockland County, in Palisades, a few minutes later with a violent crash that rolled the vehicle and landed it back upright.

According to Capt. Vincent Aiello of the Closter Police officers responded to a report of a home burglary on Kennedy Circle.

When police arrived, a BMW X5 with Pennsylvania plates with three men inside was pulling away and drove right toward arriving officers, almost striking the cruiser, Aiello said.

Aiello said police attempted to stop the BMW, which took off at a high rate of speed. A pursuit began and continued to the New Jersey/New York State Line in Rockland County, where the chase was terminated.

The SUV crashed at Route 340 and Oak Tree Road in Palisades a few minutes later. The Closter officers responded across the state line to assist with the accident, Aiello said.

The Orangetown Police responded to the crash and found one person trapped inside the SUV. The Sparkill Fire Department responded to extricate the injured person, said Sgt. Robert Wentland of the Orangetown Police.

The person was transported to Westchester Medical Center in Vahalla for medical treatment; his condition was not known on Monday, Aug. 12.

Closter police said right after the crash, two men were seen fleeing the scene eastbound into the backyards of houses in the area, said Aiello.

Aiello said the driver, later identified as Christian Ochoa Moreno of Queens, who was still inside the vehicle, was taken into custody by the Closter police officers. The suspects were able to escape and are still at large.

Closter PD turned Moreno over to Orangetown Police, Aiello said. He was remanded to the Rockland County Jail and is awaiting an extradition hearing to be returned to Bergen County.

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