A Pleasantville man who allegedly injured an Egg Harbor Township officer as he fled a shoplifting in January will remain jailed.
Anthony Colon, 30, nearly caused a crash as he fled the CVS down Hingston Avenue speeding as fast as 75 mph going the wrong way with no lights on, according to the charges.
"His history shows that he's fled almost every encounter with law enforcement I imagine that he's had," Assistant Prosecutor Matthew Mills told the judge in arguing for Colon to be detained.
Colon had 14 pending charges when he allegedly stole from the CVS on Jan. 15.
"It is shocking to me that he was still walking the streets of our county," Superior Court Judge Patricia Wild said.
Colon was not on pretrial monitoring, despite having charges that include second-degree crimes and dating to 2021.
"He has never stopped offending, according to this PSA," the judge said of the public safety assessment, which is used to help determine whether a defendant is held under bail reform.
She noted that this was not the first time Colon has fled in a vehicle after someone was injured.
"This is a fella who, by the way, has already served a prison sentence for leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident that caused a death," Wild said.
As the judge mentioned the 2016 crash that killed a mother of two, Colon swatted the air with paperwork that was up in his hand. He then waved his hand, as if to urge her to move on.
Colon is the main caretaker for his 8-month-old daughter and 10-year-old son, public defender Lauren Musarra said, in arguing for his release.
She also challenged the state's case saying his identification was made by the female suspect who remained at the scene.
Colon claims the woman was mad at him and that she was at the CVS with someone else, Musarra said.
"I do not find convincing the argument, ‘It wasn’t me,’" the judge said.
The assistant prosecutor said there is body camera footage from the officer and likely video from the store as well that would also identify Colon.
He will now remain jailed after the judge found Colon is both a risk to not appear at his court dates, and a danger to the community.
