Cliffside Park Driver Charged With Ramming Ridgefield Park Police Cars

RIDGEFIELD PARK, N.J. -- A Cliffside Park man who rammed two Ridgefield Park police car with his Mercedes before leading them on a brief chase had five ounces of marijuana and $2,200 in cash on him, authorities said Saturday.

Jerry DeMarco

04/09/2016 7:05 p.m.

Officer Kenneth Knebl pulled over the white ML 350 on westbound Route 46 on Teaneck Road near Brinkerhoff Street after spotting several equipment violations, Lt. Joseph Rella said.

The driver, Giovanni R. Petrov, apperaed impaired, so the officer asked him to get out of the car, he said.

Instead, Petrov put the car in drive and hit the gas, the lieutenant said.

The Mercedes hit the two police vehicles before Petrov pulled onto eastbound Route 46, Rella said.

Knebl chased Petrov and pulled him over near the Secaucus toll plaza, he said.

Petrov was ordered held on $50,000 bail in the Bergen County Jail, charged with aggravated assault, eluding, resisting arrest, obstruction and a variety of drug offenses.

Knebl was later treated at Holy Name Medical Center in Teaneck for a back injury.

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