Man accused of stealing car at Massachusetts gas station arrested hours later in New Jersey
A Maine man accused of stealing a car at a gas station in Reading, Massachusetts Saturday evening was arrested hours later in New Jersey.
It happened at the Shell gas station on Main Street shortly after 6:30 p.m. Police said a man was pumping gas when a 32-year-old man from Livermore Falls, Maine stole his car and took off, dragging the man as he held onto his side mirror.
Car stolen from gas station
Michael Leonard was also at the gas station at the time and was the first to help the man, who he saw laying injured on the ground.
"And as I approached him, he was like, 'He stole my car, he stole my car,'" said Leonard.
Leonard said he was shocked to see it was one of his neighbors he's known for a long time.
"I think he tried to not stop him," said Leonard. "I think he thought someone was screwing around or something with him, so he grabbed the mirror and then got dragged 20, 25 feet."
The suspect allegedly pulled up and parked next to another pump in a blue Chevrolet Malibu that was previously reported stolen out of Maine. Police said the suspect hopped out of that car and into the Reading man's Range Rover and sped towards the highway, leaving Leonard's friend on the ground, bleeding.
"He was actually pretty compared. He was more concerned about grabbing his cellphone, which was 10 feet from him so he could look at it and track the guy. You could see him going by Woburn on the Google Maps," said Leonard.
Arrested 5 hours later in NJ
Police later found and arrested the suspect after a brief vehicle and foot chase in Robbinsville Township, New Jersey at around 11:30 p.m. He now faces a number of charges in several states, including New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts. Police said he will also likely face additional charges in New Jersey and Maine.
Steven Demarco, who manages a nearby pizza shop, came out to help the victim at the gas station.
"He's a well-known dude," said Demarco. "So I mean, god bless him, thank god he's OK, I'm glad they got the guy."
"People like that deserve to be punished in some capacity, so he stole two cars that day," said Leonard. "But this, he really could have hurt this guy."
Police are still investigating the incident. The 49-year-old Reading man was taken to the hospital and is expected to be OK.
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