Paterson Man Leads Wayne Police On Pursuit, Charged With Burglary

WAYNE, NJ — A Paterson man is charged with burglary after leading police on pursuit last week. Officers say he could be the person behind "multiple" recent burglaries in Wayne.

William Green, 49, was identified as a suspect in a number of residential burglaries after a police investigation. Two Wayne police officers were monitoring the residential area of Ratzer Road and Valley Road on April 14, the area of the most recent burglary in the township.

The officers saw an Acura MDX pass their location with a driver "who matched the basic description of the suspect, a broken vent window and an obviously fictitious temporary license plate attached to the vehicle," police said.

They attempted to stop the vehicle, but the driver, later identified as Green, refused to comply and led them on a pursuit, police said.

Green’s vehicle struck a curb and blew out a tire at the intersection of Belmont Avenue and Haledon Avenue, police said. But Green continued to drive on the vehicle’s rim until he reached Kossuth Avenue, where he fled on foot into residential backyards.

A perimeter was established and officers from multiple agencies, including Haledon police, Prospect Park police, William Paterson University police, and the Passaic County Sheriff’s Office assisted in a search.

Residents directed officers to a nearby backyard where Green was found hiding under a tarp and was taken into custody.

Soon after Green’s arrest, a resident of the Valley section of Wayne reported their home was found burglarized. Items found on Green at the time of his arrest were identified by the resident as items taken from the home.

Green is charged with two counts of burglary, possession of burglar tools, resisting arrest by flight, eluding and obstructing the administration of law on a complaint warrant. Green also had an outstanding warrant from Passaic County.

He was placed in Passaic County Jail pending a detention hearing.

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