Illegal Alien Fleeing ICE Crashes-Hits New Jersey Democratic Mayor’s Wife

NORTH BRUNSWICK, N.J. — An illegal alien who fled a targeted ICE stop on the morning of Sept. 2 ran a red light on U.S. Route 130 and crashed into a Tesla driven by Dr. Penelope Cohen, wife of East Brunswick’s Democratic mayor.

Cohen, a physician, was taken to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital with a leg injury officials described as not life-threatening. After the collision the driver got out, ran, and was caught by federal agents. Occupants of both vehicles were treated. North Brunswick police said township officers were not part of the federal stop and arrived only after the crash. Route 130 was closed in both directions for more than an hour.

“ICE law enforcement officers conducted a vehicle stop Sept. 2, during a targeted ICE enforcement operation in North Brunswick, New Jersey,” an agency spokesperson said. “The illegal alien refused to exit the vehicle or comply with lawful commands from ICE officers. After repeated verbal warnings and due to officer safety concerns, ICE officers relied on their training and attempted to safely remove the illegal alien. The illegal alien then proceeded to flee at a high rate of speed and collided with other vehicles.”

The driver “was arrested for violating U.S. immigration law, will receive due process, and will remain in custody pending removal proceedings.” ICE has not released the driver’s name, nationality, or criminal history beyond the immigration arrest.

Federal agents initiated the stop about 7:30 a.m. The suspect vehicle — local reports identified a gold Acura — stopped, then sped away. Officers smashed a window during the attempt to pull the driver out, North Brunswick Mayor Francis “Mac” Womack III said. The Acura ran a red light at Route 130 South and Raider Road and rear-ended Cohen’s blue Tesla.

Mayor Brad Cohen, also a physician, went to the hospital with his wife and declined comment. He lost a Democratic primary last year for the House seat held by Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman.

Watson Coleman wrote that “ICE’s lawlessness is putting innocent people in harms way,” adding #AbolishICE.

Republicans argued New Jersey’s limits on local-ICE cooperation push federal agents onto street stops. Attorney General Directive 2018-6, the Immigrant Trust Directive, generally bars local officers from civil immigration arrests and 287(g) agreements. Gov. Mikie Sherrill signed the Safe Communities Act in January, Executive Order 12 in February (no ICE in nonpublic state property without a judicial warrant), and a March statute writing the Trust Directive into law. DOJ sued over EO-12 in February.

Assemblyman Paul Kanitra told Fox a cooperative model would reduce high-speed pursuits on roads like Route 130. Sherrill’s office has not issued a statement on this crash.

ICE has not identified the driver. No New Jersey criminal charges from the red-light run or the flight on foot had been announced as of Monday. What is not in dispute is the chain local police, the township, and ICE have each described: a targeted federal stop, a refusal to comply, a flight through a signal, a civilian car hit on a weekday morning highway, and an illegal alien now in federal custody pending removal.