READING, Mass. — A 32-year-old Maine man is facing charges after police say he stole a vehicle from a gas station in Massachusetts and drove it to New Jersey.
According to police, around 6:33 p.m., officers received a 911 call reporting that a motor vehicle had been stolen from a customer pumping gas at the Shell at 110 Main St in Reading.
Preliminary investigation indicates that the victim was pumping gas on the passenger side of their black 2022 Range Rover Sport when the suspect, a 32-year-old from Livermore Falls, Maine pulled up and parked next to another pump in a blue Chevrolet Malibu previously reported stolen out of Maine.
The suspect abandoned the Malibu, hopped into the Range Rover’s driver’s seat, and did a U-turn in the gas station parking lot, police say.
The suspect struck and partially ran over the victim while driving away.
“I hop outside, and I see some guy across the street over at the gas station. He’s laying there blood coming out of his head, so I run over,” said Steven Demarco who works at Cal’s Brick Oven Pizza.
Demarco was one of many people who rushed to help the injured man who Demarco said “seemed pretty coherent and fine.”
The victim, a 49-year-old Reading man, held onto the mirror of his vehicle as the suspect fled the gas station parking lot. According to police, the victim was dragged by the fleeing vehicle for approximately 20 feet.
“I guess he dragged the guy like 20 feet almost onto the street,” Demarco said that the victim was coherent as to what happened. “I mean, he was just kind of laying there like I said, just kind of in shock”
The victim was transported to Lahey Hospital & Medical Center with unknown injuries. No update on his condition is available at this time.
Demarco added that some of the women he works with knew the man dragged by the vehicle because their fathers play golf with him.
Demarco explained, “He’s a well known dude, so I mean, God bless him. Thank God he’s ok.”
While people who work nearby are relieved police finally apprehended the suspect, they still feel uneasy about an incident like this happening in a quieter, low crime city.
“Especially in Reading, we would never expect something like this,” said May Monteiro who manages Cal’s Creamery nearby. “It was really nice to see that everyone just ran over, stopped what they were doing, and just made sure that the person was alright.”
The suspect fled Massachusetts in the stolen Range Rover and traveled through Connecticut and New York and into New Jersey.
The man was arrested following a brief vehicle and foot chase in Robbinsville Township, New Jersey.
The Malibu stolen out of Maine was towed from the scene by Reading Police for processing.
Reading Police will be applying for a warrant for multiple criminal charges in Woburn District Court at a later date.
The man will also likely face additional charges in New Jersey and Maine.
The investigation is active and ongoing.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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