Gas Thief Leads Springfield Cops on Multi-Town Chase

Late this morning, Springfield police chased a driver of a white Ford Expedition with no plated through three highways before terminating the pursuit in Newark. 

Detective Sergeant Judd Levenson said that at 11:35 a.m. Pacifico Brother’s gas station called police to report that a driver took $84 worth of gas and left without paying for it. Gas station employees said described the truck as having no visible license plate.

Springfield police pulled found a vehicle matching the description near Sandmeier School. After the officers pulled up to the car with their lights and sirens on, the car took off towards Route 22.

The car traveled East on Route 22, and weaved in and out of parking lots with the officers in pursuit. Traffic on the highway was light and the police followed the Expedition at speeds between 50 and 60 MPH.

The Expedition took Garden State Parkway North to I-78 before exiting the highway in Newark. Springfield police command called off the pursuit, not willing to risk continuing the chase over a relatively minor crime in a densely-populated urban area.