LACEY – A Manchester man is facing multiple charges after allegedly leading police on a dangerous pursuit that included multiple crashes, near-misses with officers, and a final attempt to evade arrest by jumping into a lake.
On Thursday, July 17, at approximately 3:46 p.m., Lacey Township Police responded to a report of a silver Hyundai Tucson traveling erratically southbound on Route 9. The driver was reportedly drinking alcohol while behind the wheel and swerving through traffic, nearly causing head-on collisions after turning the wrong way onto Beach Boulevard.
The suspect, later identified as Ronald Banilov, 33, of Ridgeway Road in Manchester, struck the reporting caller’s vehicle on Orlando Drive and fled at a high speed, police said. Officers spotted the vehicle and attempted a stop at a Lacey Road business, where Banilov allegedly rammed a detective’s car and sped off, hitting another patrol vehicle during his escape.
The pursuit was temporarily terminated when Banilov fled into Barnegat Pines. However, he continued to drive recklessly, eventually crashing into a culvert at the Lacey Township Recreation Department, launching the vehicle into the air, and speeding through police headquarters. He ultimately crashed into a utility pole at Arlington Avenue and Lakeside Drive North, then fled on foot into nearby woods before diving into Deerhead Lake. Officers apprehended him in the water.
Police determined Banilov was intoxicated and driving a vehicle he had taken without permission.
He was charged with second-degree eluding, two counts of aggravated assault on police, resisting arrest, obstruction, criminal mischief, trespassing, and taking a vehicle without consent. He also received numerous traffic summonses, including DWI, refusal to submit to breath testing, reckless driving, and leaving the scene of multiple crashes. In addition, he was cited for swimming in the lake without a beach badge.
Banilov was transported to the Ocean County Jail.
