FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP — A township police officer was injured on Saturday afternoon after he and a fellow officer stopped a vehicle with three Newark residents who, law enforcement authorities believe, were on their way to commit crimes at the Freehold Raceway Mall.

Officer William Holohan was hurt as he reached into the suspects’ car to put the gear shift into park and the driver took off on Throckmorton Street near the township’s border with Freehold Borough with Holohan still halfway inside the car.

According to Robert A. Honecker Jr. first assistant Monmouth County prosecutor, Holohan dislodged himself from his predicament but his firearm discharged. The bullet hit the vehicle, but no one was injured. Honecker said a preliminary investigation determined it was an accidental discharge of the weapon.

During an ensuing chase into Freehold Borough, Holohan, who had returned to his vehicle, lost control of his patrol car and crashed through a wrought iron gate in front of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church at the corner of West Main and Throckmorton streets. He was subsequently treated at CentraState Medical Center, West Main Street, for injuries to his right leg and ankle and released.

Law enforcement authorities said the motor vehicle stop police made on Throckmorton Street was the result of a 911 call from a motorist who reported that a person was driving erratically in a burgundy Honda traveling south on Route 9 in Manalapan toward Freehold Township. The call was made at about 4:20 p.m.

Freehold Township officers Kevin Cherney and Holohan spotted the 1990 unregistered Honda being driven by a man police later identified as Gilberto Rodriguez and activated their lights. Rodriguez, 32, who had two passengers in the car—Augustin Gonzalez, 29, and Annette Mendez, whose age was unknown—exited the Route 9 ramp to Throckmorton Street and stopped the car. Cherney approached on the driver’s side and Holohan went to the passenger side, where he reached into the car to put it into park. Just as he reached into the car, Rodriguez sped away with Holohan hanging from the car.

Authorities said Holohan attempted to pull out his service weapon as he wrestled with Augustin Gonzalez. As he fell from the car, his gun went off.

At one point during the incident, Rodriguez headed directly for a patrol car being driven by Freehold Township Officer Tom Hartman, who managed to avoid a head-on collision by driving into a curb.

In the meantime, Holohan had rejoined the pursuit. According to Honecker, the officer was driving on West Main Street in Freehold Borough when he lost control of his car and crashed into the fence in the front yard of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church because he couldn’t use his legs to control the car.

One eyewitness said it was a scene right out of the movies with township and borough police cars flashing their lights and blaring their sirens. Holohan’s police car was imbedded in the iron gate in front of the church, and fire department volunteers were trying to extricate the car. An ambulance was on the scene and Holohan was immobilized on a stretcher with a brace around his neck and his leg bandaged.

Meanwhile, Rodriguez headed back out of the borough and entered Route 9 north. He struck several cars on the highway before crashing into a vehicle in front of a bank at the Pond Road shopping center.

Several automobiles were badly damaged during Rodriguez’s flight up the highway, but according to police, none of the motorists were seriously injured.

Route 9 north was closed and all traffic was directed off the highway and onto Route 522.

Police arrested Rodriguez, Gonzalez and Mendez and charged them with conspiracy to commit theft at the Freehold Raceway Mall.

Rodriguez and Gonzalez were also charged with aggravated assault and eluding police, Honecker said.

All three individuals are being held in the Monmouth County jail, Waterworks Road, in lieu of $300,000 bail eachThree arrested after chase, crashes in Freehold Township

By linda denicola

Staff Writer.