EAST BRUNSWICK – Police charged three people with drug offenses after locating an alleged stolen vehicle on Route 18.
Patrolman Jeff Dougherty was on patrol around 10:28 p.m. on Nov. 9 when he reportedly observed a blue 2017 Hyundai Sonata with New York registration exit the Studio Six parking lot at 246 Route 18 and enter onto the northbound side of the highway, according to information provided by the East Brunswick Police Department.
A check of the vehicle’s registration reportedly revealed the Hyundai was a stolen vehicle out of New York, according to police.
Dougherty followed the Hyundai north on Highway 18 and onto Route 1 north, into Edison, and conducted a motor vehicle stop on the Hyundai with the assistance of East Brunswick Detective Alex Danese, Patrolman Brian Woodruff and Patrolman Matthew Egnasko, according to the statement.
The driver, Tanasia Hardy, 25, of Jamaica, New York, and two male passengers, Kashif Totten, 24, of Somerset, and Terrence Davis, 24, of New Brunswick, were identified, police said.
A search of the stolen vehicle allegedly revealed a quantity of cocaine and synthetic cannabinoid, as well as several credit cards not belonging to any of the occupants, according to police.
All three suspects were charged with possession of stolen property and possession of a controlled dangerous substance. Totten was also charged with credit card fraud. The two males also had active warrants from multiple municipalities in New Jersey.
As of press time, all three individuals were lodged at the Middlesex County Adult Correction Center in North Brunswick in lieu of bail: $50,000 for Hardy and Davis and $60,000 for Totten, according to police.