Man Deliberately Crashes SUV into New Jersey Home and Police Station
A New Jersey man, identified as John Hargreaves, intentionally drove his SUV into both a private residence and the offices of a municipal police department in a bizarre incident last week, as announced by authorities on Friday.
Thankfully, no one sustained injuries during these incidents, which occurred on September 20, according to a statement from the Warren County Prosecutor’s Office. However, when Hargreaves, a 34-year-old resident of Belvidere, plowed into the Independence Township police headquarters, the building suffered significant damage.
Hargreaves’ SUV ended up right inside the department’s squad room. Bizarrely, upon exiting his vehicle, he raised his hands in the air and seemed to celebrate, blaring the tune “Welcome to the Jungle” by Guns N’ Roses loudly from his car stereo while officers took him into custody.
The police station crash unfolded just moments after Hargreaves had targeted a home in Liberty Township, where he drove into the garage door. Prosecutors revealed that this act was apparently meant to harass the homeowner, who was personally known to Hargreaves. Subsequently, he made his way to the Independence police station, as it was the nearest location, prosecutors said.
John Hargreaves has been charged with burglary, criminal mischief, and a weapons-related offense for his involvement in both crashes. He also faces more severe charges, including terrorism, aggravated assault, and causing extensive harm or damage due to the police station collision.
As of now, authorities have not disclosed a clear motive behind Hargreaves’ actions. On Friday, Hargreaves remained in police custody.
The county prosecutors have not provided information about whether Hargreaves has legal representation at this point. Efforts to reach an attorney who had previously represented him in another case were unsuccessful. Additionally, contact information for Hargreaves was not available.