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Omar Williams

Age : 43

Gender : Male

Race : Black

Date : 07/23/2024

Location : Park Avenue

City : Bloomfield Township

County : Essex

State : New Jersey

Agency : Bloomfield Police Department

Officer(s) :Deputy Chief Anthony Sisco; Lt. Michael Moleski; Sgt. Raymond Diaz; Detective James Romano

Cause of Death : Vehicle

Event : Driver killed by police chase crash

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

On 07/23/2024, Bloomfield Police Department detectives received an Automated License Plate Recognition (ALPR) alert for a Nissan Sentra that had been reported stolen and was believed to have been used in two purse robberies earlier that day. Deputy Chief Anthony Sisco located the vehicle in Newark, and officers attempted to conduct a traffic stop. According to investigators, the driver continued driving away, and Lt. Michael Moleski and Detective James Romano pursued the vehicle. Sgt. Raymond Diaz later joined the pursuit in a marked patrol vehicle with emergency lights and sirens activated.
The pursuit lasted approximately four minutes and covered about 2.9 miles. On Park Avenue in East Orange, the Nissan entered the wrong lane of travel and sideswiped a Toyota Camry that was turning left. The impact caused the Nissan to strike a parked ambulance. Officers removed the unconscious driver from the vehicle, and emergency medical personnel transported him to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Two uninvolved civilian drivers sustained non-life-threatening injuries.
In January 2026, the New Jersey Attorney General's Office identified the driver as Omar Williams, released body-worn camera, dashboard camera, and third-party video footage, and identified the officers involved. On 02/09/2026, a state grand jury voted not to file criminal charges against the officers, concluding the investigation without an indictment.

SOURCE LINKS :

https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/east-orange-nj-police-pursuit-crash-pedestrian-killed/
https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/high-speed-police-pursuit-new-jersey-dead-east-orange/5625487/