Traffic stop outside tunnel Friday night led to chase, shooting of one man
A shooting at the Holland Tunnel caused major traffic backups all around the Jersey City area Friday night.JERSEY CITY — Rush-hour traffic and a crime scene that stretched for half a mile led to the six-hour shutdown of the Holland Tunnel Friday night, investigators said today.
Hudson County Prosecutor Edward J. De Fazio, whose office will now take over the investigation of a shooting and police chase that snarled traffic for motorists throughout the metropolitan region, said today that the initial investigation indicated the Port Authority police were justified in firing on two suspects who fled from a traffic stop.
"He was being crushed up against the car," De Fazio said of the officer. Police fired on Jahaad Sanders, 19, and, Lorenzo Dease, 24, striking Sanders in the forearm. "Numerous civilian witnesses have been interviewed and indicated it was a life-threatening situation."
De Fazio said the shooting took place at the entrance of the tunnel but the sound reverberated for hundreds of feet inside creating the impression that shots were fired inside the underwater causeway.
Despite heavy traffic, De Fazio said Port Authority Police routinely pull people over as they enter the tunnel for traffic violations.
"That’s not a rare occurrence. Those types of moving violation stops occur and 99 percent of people pull over," De Fazio said.
He added that the two men were allegedly involved in a previous incident in Jersey City. When they pulled away in a 1994 Jeep Cherokee they drew fire from the police and began a six-hour traffic nightmare for motorists.
"I heard four gunshots," said Jay Hochberg who witnessed part of the chase through his rearview mirror. "The shooting was probably hundreds of feet behind me."
Hochberg said he and his fellow motorists were trapped in the tunnel for about 3 hours and 20 minutes after the men were apprehended.
Sanders and Dease, both of Brooklyn, were charged with numerous offenses and are currently being held in New York, awaiting extradition to New Jersey.
Previous coverage:
• Holland Tunnel shooting witness describes police chase through rush-hour traffic
• Two Brooklyn men are charged in Holland Tunnel police shooting
• Two suspects in custody after Holland Tunnel shooting, traffic jams
• Holland Tunnel shooting leads to massive traffic backup heading to N.Y.