Belleville Officer Struck by Fleeing Bmw; Connecticut Man Arrested After Three-State Search

It started as a traffic stop over fake license plates. Within minutes, a Belleville police officer had been thrown onto the hood of a car, and the driver was gone.

A 22-year-old Connecticut man is now charged in the Sunday night incident on Mill Street, according to a release from the Belleville Police Department.

At about 7:45 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 25, officers in a marked patrol car tried to pull over a dark-colored BMW sedan with fictitious Connecticut registration plates near Main Street and Mill Street, police said.

The driver ignored the lights and sirens and headed west on Mill Street into Branch Brook Park, police said, until the car reached a stretch of roadway that was closed to traffic.

According to the department, uniformed officers got out of their patrol car to arrest the driver for eluding. During the encounter, police say, the driver struck one of the officers with the BMW, throwing him onto the hood. The officer fired his department-issued gun during the incident.

The injured officer was taken to an area hospital for treatment. Police did not release his name or condition. The BMW drove off east on Mill Street.

Belleville investigators worked with the Essex County Prosecutor's Office and agencies in New Jersey, New York and Connecticut to identify the driver, police said. They identified him as Damien Sulewski, 22, of New Britain, Connecticut.

Connecticut State Police arrested him early Monday, Oct. 26. He faces charges of aggravated assault, eluding and weapons-related offenses, according to the release. The BMW was later found abandoned in Katonah, New York.

"The successful apprehension of this suspect is a direct result of the dedication, professionalism, and collaboration of law enforcement officers across multiple jurisdictions," Police Chief Mark Minichini said in the release. He thanked the prosecutor's office, New Britain police, Connecticut State Police and partner agencies, as well as residents who sent support to the injured officer.

The officer's use of his firearm remains under investigation by the Professional Standards Bureau at the Essex County Prosecutor's Office, police said. Police did not say when Sulewski would be brought back to New Jersey or appear in court.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Belleville Police Department at 973-450-3333.

All charges are accusations. Sulewski is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

Source: Belleville Police Department press release, Oct. 26, 2026.

Photo: Belleville Town Hall, home of the Belleville Police Department. Jim Henderson / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0 (cropped).