DWI driver struck 2 Clifton police vehicles on Route 21, injuring officer
Police say two patrol vehicles caught the impact while officers were investigating an earlier crash; one officer had to dive over a concrete divider to avoid being struck.
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A Passaic man was charged with driving while intoxicated and assault by auto after police say he struck two Clifton police vehicles on Route 21 early Sunday, injuring an officer and causing two vehicles to catch fire.
Three Clifton police officers were investigating a crash in the left lane of Route 21 North near River Road around 4 a.m. Two police vehicles were parked in the left lane to block traffic from the crash scene.
Police say a 2024 Acura MDX driven by 32-year-old Matthew Cancel approached in the left lane and struck both police vehicles.
One officer was inside one of the vehicles and suffered a head injury. Two other officers who were outside the vehicles narrowly avoided being struck, according to police. One of them was forced to dive over a concrete divider.
The Acura and one of the police vehicles caught fire. Police say all occupants got out before both vehicles became fully engulfed in flames. The second police vehicle sustained heavy rear-end damage.
Cancel had two passengers in the Acura. One suffered a shoulder injury, while the other was not injured, police said.
Responding officers said Cancel showed signs of intoxication. He was arrested on a DWI charge and taken to a local hospital as a precaution with what police described as very minor injuries.
The officer who suffered the head injury was treated at a local hospital and released. The injured passenger was also taken to a hospital by EMS.
Police said Cancel was also charged with assault by auto and issued several motor vehicle summonses. After his release from the hospital, he was jailed pending his first court appearance.
