LACEY – A Forked River woman is facing multiple charges after allegedly striking a police officer and a civilian vehicle while fleeing a traffic stop Tuesday afternoon, according to the Lacey Township Police Department.
Police said the incident began around 4:28 p.m. on July 15, when officers stopped a vehicle in a business parking lot on Lacey Road near Newark Avenue. The driver, identified as 27-year-old Brooke I. Mathews, attempted to escape by reversing into a police officer and patrol vehicle, then speeding forward onto Lacey Road, where she struck another vehicle in traffic and continued fleeing.
Mathews eventually drove to her residence in Forked River before fleeing the area on foot, police said. After a search involving the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Narcotics Strike Force and the Ocean County Sheriff’s K-9 Unit, she was located and taken into custody.
Authorities said Mathews had an active no-bail warrant issued by the Ocean County Sheriff’s Department.
She was charged with eluding, aggravated assault, obstructing the administration of law, and multiple motor vehicle violations, including reckless driving, leaving the scene of an accident, and failure to stop. She was transported to the Ocean County Correctional Facility.
No injuries were reported in either crash, and the officer struck during the initial escape attempt was not harmed, police said.
