Residents report multiple vehicle-chase incidents near Denman and Riverside drives; police say state and Woodbridge units led response

Several Clark residents raised safety concerns Monday after a string of vehicle-chase incidents that crossed Denman Avenue and Riverside Drive, a small Riverside cul-de-sac. Neighbors described multiple occurrences within days and said the presence of police cars and officers responding to suspects in yards caused alarm.

Why it matters: Multiple residents said the incidents left people in a dead-end neighborhood frightened and seeking clearer information about how suspects accessed yards and whether the township can increase physical or signage deterrents at parkway access points.

What residents said: Janice Guillame, who lives on Denman Avenue, said she saw Ring-camera footage and multiple police cars in her yard during separate incidents and asked whether the events were related or separate. “So I was just curious if that was a different incident than the one that happened, like, the same night. Was there two separate incidences or was that the same?” Guillame asked during the public-comment period.

Martha Kamachev, a Riverside Drive resident, said her neighbors’ Ring cameras recorded a suspect jumping fences and that multiple agencies — Clark Police, Woodbridge Police and the State Police — responded quickly. She thanked officers for their response and said neighbors felt protected by the quick arrival of multiple agencies.

Police account and follow-up: Captain Akabu (Clark Police) told the council he reviewed the events and concluded the Saturday incident involved a New Jersey State Police unit and Woodbridge officers responding to a suspect connected to a domestic-violence incident. “It appeared to be only one incident, with that incident happening on Saturday,” he said, and added Clark officers provided backup.

Discussion vs. decision: Residents brought safety concerns to the meeting (discussion/public comment). Police provided incident clarification (information). The council and clerk advised residents to provide contact information so the department could follow up and investigate further; no ordinance or formal policy change was proposed at the meeting.

Next steps: The clerk offered to pass contact details to Captain Akabu for follow-up investigations; residents were encouraged to report incidents or suspicious vehicles to police and to provide video evidence or Ring-camera clips to help enforcement.

Ending: Council members repeated the request that residents report suspicious activity so code and police can act; officials said the collaboration between municipal, county and state police was critical to resolving the Saturday incident.