The driver of a backhoe rampaged through a town in New Jersey, on Saturday (Dec. 18). The incident, which took place at 5:30am local time, saw the driver of a backhoe digger drive into cars and police cruisers, before flipping over an ambulance.
According to the New Jersey attorney general’s office, police in New Jersey were faced with the rampaging driver in the early hours of Saturday morning. The driver crashed through the town of Vineland before the chase was brought to an abrupt end when officers shot the driver.
Local news station ABC6 reported that police in New Jersey were alerted to the incident when the driver of a yellow digger started acting “erratically” while driving through the Penn Lincoln Mobile Home Park.
Eye witnesses told the news channel that the driver repeatedly hit a red sedan. An ambulance then arrived on the scene, and the driver of the backhoe crashed into that as well.
The news station reported that the driver flipped over the ambulance and “there was a bunch of smoke and crashing”. The driver also hit a police car, before driving off.
After rampaging through the town, officers from the Vineland Police Department fired on the driver. The man was fatally wounded and, despite first aid being administered at the scene, was pronounced dead at the scene at 5:48am.
Three Vineland police officers also sustained minor injuries during the incident. They have since been treated and released. ABC6 News also reported that the driver of the red sedan was “shaken up” but did not suffer any injuries.
As the driver of the backhoe was killed during the chase, the New Jersey attorney general’s office will now investigate the incident.
Lawmakers said that the investigation into the incident is ongoing, and that “no further information is being released at this time”.