LINDENWOLD, N.J. -- When the 35-year-old woman was first arrested, the initial charge was obstruction of justice, followed soon thereafter by one of resisting arrest.
Then she allegedly stole a police cruiser.
And the initial call to police didn't even involve her.
Danyl Fontanez of the 2000 block of Brighton Avenue in Lindenwold was hosting a party in her home when the call to police came in around 1:10 a.m. Wednesday reporting a dispute at the home.
There was a disturbance involving two guests, which Fontanez was not involved in, said Detective Christopher Sherrer, spokesman for the Lindenwold police. That situation was over by the time Officer Nicholas Grungo arrived at Fontanez's home, Sherrer said, and the guests were not taken into custody.
But Fontanez was uncooperative, initially refusing to let Grungo in, Sherrer said. After letting him in, she apparently changed her mind, Sherrer said, and began telling Grungo to get out as the officer tried to interview partygoers.
Sgt. Kenneth Balmer showed up to assist Grungo, and the two officers arrested Fontanez, Sherrer said, for obstruction of justice. Fontanez struggled against being arrested, Sherrer said, leading to the charge of resisting arrest.
Grungo left his car engine running after placing Fontanez, in handcuffs, in the backseat, Sherrer said, to leave the air-conditioning running on a hot night.
In the minute and a half that Fontanez was in the back and the officer was away, Sherrer said, she managed to slip the handcuffs off -- "she's sort of a small, wiry person" -- and then kick out the partition separating the front and backseats.
"It's not a steel cage, it's like plexiglass, and it's three panels: center and two on the sides," Sherrer said. "She manages to kick the center partition out, manages to crawl out of this hole that's maybe a foot square."
And she drove off.
Brighton Avenue is just off the White Horse Pike, which she got on and headed toward Stratford, Sherrer said.
Balmer gave chase, as did Grungo, who hopped into yet another assisting officer's car.
About five minutes later, Fontanez turned into a dead-end street in Cherry Hill, Sherrer said, at which point officers boxed her in.
Fontanez received a small cut to her chin while being handcuffed the second time, Sherrer said, so she was taken to a nearby hospital.
She remained in the hospital Wednesday afternoon, Sherrer said, because of a preexisting condition that was unrelated to the arrest and chase.
Fontanez's obstruction of justice and resisting arrest charges have been joined by charges for eluding arrest and theft of the police car, Sherrer said. The investigation may lead to additional charges for traffic violations, he said.
Copyright 2013 - The Philadelphia Inquirer
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
