Wild police chase through North Jersey ends with blown tire and crash

Two men are facing numerous theft charges after authorities said they led police on a high-speed chase through North Jersey and fled on foot before being apprehended Wednesday morning.

The chase began at 10:37 a.m. when a caller reported two men in ski masks committing thefts from residences in Secaucus, town police said in a press release Thursday. While en route to the area, an officer saw a black Honda Accord driving "at excessively high rates of speeds" against the flow of traffic toward Route 3 west.

Despite hitting a curb and blowing out a tire, the Honda continued onto the highway at more than 80 mph, police said. The chase continued until the vehicle crashed into a FedEx truck on Route 3 near the Main Street exit in Clifton.

The driver of the vehicle, Jordan Terry, 19, of Elmwood Park, then ran across all three lanes of the highway before he was struck by a vehicle traveling east, police said. He suffered minor injuries and was placed under arrest.

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The passenger, Eliel Ortiz, 19, of Garfield, also fled after the crash, police said. He was arrested by Secaucus police and state police in weeds near the vehicle.

Officers said they recovered stolen property from Secaucus residents in the Honda. The vehicle was also bearing a stolen license plate, police said.

Both men were charged with four counts of theft, receiving stolen property and conspiracy to commit theft, along with resisting arrest and obstruction of justice. Terry was also charged with eluding and was lodged in the Hudson County Jail, while Ortiz was released pending a court appearance.

Secaucus Police Chief Dennis Miller thanked state police, along with the Clifton and East Rutherford police departments and the Passaic County Sheriff's Office, for assisting in the case.

"I am thankful that nobody was truly injured in this incident," Miller said. "This incident is another example that the Secaucus Police Department will respond immediately to resident reports of criminal activity and apprehend criminals by lawful means."

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Secaucus NJ police make arrests after police chase on highway