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Kevin Valverde-Cruz, 21, of Jackson
According to the Ocean County Prosecutors Office, Kevin Valverde-Cruz, 21, of Jackson admitted to fleeing a traffic stop, led police on a high-speed chase, and ramming a car being driven by detectives. He was given a five-year state prison sentence.
According to a press release from the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office, Kevin Valverde-Cruz, 21, of Jackson, was operating a Jeep Grand Cherokee on October 18, 2022, in Lakewood when Lakewood Township detectives attempted to stop him for speeding.
He resisted being pulled over, setting off a pursuit that terminated on the Garden State Parkway "due to public safety concerns," according to a statement from Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer.
Later that evening, the same vehicle - confirmed by the vehicle’s New Jersey registration number from the first encounter - was located on the shoulder of the westbound lane of Central Avenue in Lakewood.
Detectives approached the vehicle and made contact with its operator. The operator of the vehicle did not comply with the Detectives commands, put the vehicle in reverse, and struck the Detectives’ vehicle. The operator of the vehicle abruptly turned back into the roadway - almost striking the Detectives - and fled the area.
An investigation by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit, Lakewood Township Police Department Detective Bureau, and Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, determined that Valverde-Cruz was the operator of the subject Jeep Grand Cherokee on October 18, 2022.
On January 10, 2023, the Ocean County Regional SWAT executed a court authorized search warrant on Valverde-Cruz’s residence in Jackson Township. Valverde-Cruz was taken into custody without incident, and processed at
Lakewood Township Police Headquarters. The white Jeep Grand Cherokee was also located at the residence in Jackson Township. Valverde-Cruz was transported to the Ocean County Jail, and subsequently released as a consequence of New Jersey Bail Reform.
