CHARLTON — On Wednesday, March 5, 2025, just before 6:00 a.m., a Charlton police officer monitoring traffic on Route 20 spotted a vehicle exceeding the posted 55 mph speed limit on Route 20-Worcester Road.
According to a statement from the Charlton Police Department, the driver of the suspect vehicle changed lanes erratically upon spotting the cruiser and accelerated beyond 80 mph.
As the officer merged into traffic and activated his cruiser’s blue lights, the driver attempted to evade him by turning off his headlights before abruptly turning onto Bay Path Road.
The vehicle then veered off the road and crashed, after which its occupants – two men – exited and fled into the woods. It was at this time that police learned that the license plates on the vehicle did not match its registration and that it had been reported stolen in New Haven, Connecticut, on February 19, 2025.
Officers established a perimeter in the area as K9 Dozer and other officers searched for the two males seen fleeing the vehicle on foot. A Charlton drone officer, along with drones from other area departments, was also deployed to assist in the search.
During the extensive search, officers discovered evidence and tracked the suspects’ movements as they headed toward Richardson Corner Road, the Charlton Police Department said in its statement. Officers stationed in the area then saw one of the males emerge from the woods and took him into custody near 45 Richardson Corner Road.
Around the same time, a black sedan was seen speeding away from the area. An officer working a paid detail nearby spotted the vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed and attempted to initiate a traffic stop.
The vehicle failed to stop and led officers into Oxford while driving erratically. At one point, it veered into oncoming traffic, nearly colliding head-on with a Massachusetts State Trooper. An Oxford police officer successfully deployed a tire deflation device, bringing the vehicle to a safe stop a short distance later on Route 20 in Auburn.
The male driver was taken into custody and later identified as the suspect who had fled from the initial crash in Charlton. Police also confirmed that the vehicle had been stolen from a residence on Richardson Corner Road.
The suspects were identified as:
- Jayden Kelly, 20, of Hartford, Connecticut, who was arrested and arraigned on March 6, 2025, on the following charges:
- Use without authority
- Possession of burglarious tools
- Receiving stolen property over $1,200
- Breaking and entering in the daytime for a felony
- Jorge Ruiz, 24, of West Hartford, Connecticut, who was arrested and arraigned on March 6, 2025, on the following charges:
- Speeding
- Negligent operation of a motor vehicle
- Failure to stop for police
- Attaching plates
- Unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle
- Use without authority
- Larceny of a motor vehicle
- Marked lanes violation
- Possession of burglarious tools
