Men Were Fleeing Drug Deal When Crash Happend, Police Allege

The three men who were captured as a result of the two-hour police manhunt that took place Thursday evening (June 14) were allegedly fleeing a shady drug deal when they crashed their rented minivan into another vehicle on Route 1, Lawrence Township police revealed this afternoon.

Cash totaling more than $10,000 was found on the suspects after they were arrested, police said.

Police suspect that the three men, all of whom are from New York, met two other men in the parking lot of the Red Lobster restaurant in the 3200 block of Route 1 (Brunswick Pike) in Lawrence Township and traded “imitation cocaine” for cash, according to Detective Sgt. Joseph Amodio.

He said police believe the three suspects – identified as Alexander Bernstein, 29, of New York, N.Y.; Rayle Henriquez, 29, of Amityville, N.Y., and Joel Vasquez, 19, of New York, N.Y. – were trying to leave the area quickly, before the other men realized the cocaine was fake.

They had only gone a short distance from the Red Lobster when their minivan – allegedly driven by Vasquez – slammed into the rear of a sport utility vehicle being driven by a 40-year-old Lawrence Township woman who was on her way home.

Following that collision – which happened on the southbound side of Route 1 just north of the Interstate 95/295 interchange about 6:10 p.m. – the three men allegedly snatched up the proceeds of their drug deal and took off running into the woods adjacent to the Joe’s Crab Shack restaurant, Amodio said.

While ambulance personnel transported the 40-year-old woman to a local hospital to be treated for minor injuries suffered in the collision, township police began searching the woods for the three men.

By 6:30 p.m., two of the suspects – Henriquez and Vasquez – had been located and taken into custody in the vicinity of the ramp leading onto Interstate 95 South from Route 1, Amodio confirmed.

With the third suspect – Bernstein – still at large and the township police’s own canine officer out of town on vacation, a request was made for a tracking dog from the state police to assist with the manhunt.

Police believe Bernstein made his way through the woods and along the . At some point, police suspect, he swam across the canal and made his way along the Brearley-Great Meadow Trail, which links the canal towpath with the township’s historic which stands at the end of Meadow Road.

Bernstein – wet, muddy, and suffering from cuts and a shoulder injury apparently suffered while running through the woods – was located by police on Meadow Road and taken into custody a little after 8 p.m. He was transported by ambulance to a local hospital to be treated for his injuries.

Amodio said all three men have been charged criminally with distribution of imitation cocaine and obstructing justice. As the driver of the minivan, Vasquez also charged criminally with assault by auto and received eight traffic tickets, he said.

Police have obtained a search warrant for the minivan but have not yet conducted that search, Amodio said. Additional charges could be filed based on the results of that search, he said.

Township police are still investigating and are working to identify the two men who allegedly bought the fake cocaine at the Red Lobster, Amodio said. He said police plan to enlist the assistance of the federal Drug Enforcement Administration.

Leading the investigation for township police are Detective Robert Potter and Officers Steve Simon and Michael Whitmore.