Officials provide new details of the Newark police pursuit that ended in the death of an 18-year-old Newark man.
NEWARK -- Following the Tuesday city police pursuit that left an 18-year-old Newark resident dead, authorities have declined to name the officer at the wheel of the Newark police vehicle that struck him.
In a reply to questions by NJ Advance Media, Essex County Prosecutor's Office spokeswoman Kathy Carter said the officer is a 22-year police veteran. But the department will not release the officer's name due to concerns for his safety, Carter said.
It was not immediately made clear whether the officer remains on active duty.
RELATED: Authorities identify teen killed following Newark police pursuit
On Wednesday, Tyree Crawford, 18, was identified by officials as the victim in the crash. Crawford was a passenger in a silver Jaguar sedan reported stolen during an early-morning carjacking in the city's Vailsburg section, authorities said.
After spotting the car, Newark police pursued the vehicle through the South Ward, authorities said. The chase turned deadly when Crawford was struck by a police vehicle after he and five others bailed out of the car near the intersection of Demarest Street and Hawthorne Avenue, authorities said.
Following a subsequent standoff with police, all five were taken into custody. Crawford later died at the scene of the crash, officials said. His role in the alleged theft of the car, and the felonies police say the car may be connected to, was not immediately made clear.
On Wednesday, Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn Murray announced charges against the five juvenile suspects, including receiving stolen property, resisting arrest and possession of two handguns authorities said were found inside the stolen vehicle.
Few other details about the pursuit have been disclosed. Asked about the circumstances of the crash, officials told NJ Advance Media that the allegedly stolen vehicle was being pursued east on Hawthorne Avenue by two police cruisers just prior to the crash.
After jumping from the allegedly stolen car, Crawford was struck by the front end of a police vehicle, they said.
Citing an ongoing investigation by the Essex County Prosecutor's Office Professional Standards Bureau, authorities declined to provide details of the police cruiser's speed at the time it struck Crawford, or say exactly where he was at the moment of impact.
Officials did not say when the investigation would be completed, or if the findings would be disclosed. Investigations by the Essex County Professional Standards Bureau are considered internal investigations, and may be exempt from public disclosure.
Including the pursuit that ended in Tyree Crawford's death, the Essex County Prosecutor's Office has initiated three investigations of police pursuits involving Newark police officers so far this year.
On Aug. 27, a woman walking her dog near Branch Brook Park was struck by a driver pursued by police on suspicion of speeding. Two people sustained minor injuries Wednesday after an alleged stolen vehicle pursued by police struck their car.
All three recent pursuits are under investigation, officials said.
Vernal Coleman can be reached at vcoleman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @vernalcoleman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
