Essex CountyUpdated: Feb. 26, 2026, 7:38 a.m.Published: Feb. 25, 2026, 5:38 p.m.A chase in Newark by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents pursuing a van they had tried to pull over Wednesday resulted in a crash that hospitalized the van driver and involved a third vehicle that three minors were passengers in, city officials said. “The chase led to an accident at Clinton Avenue and 10th Street, involving several vehicles, one of which had three children as passengers, two 15-year-olds and one 12-year-old,” Mayor Ras J. Baraka said in a statement Wednesday afternoon. Baraka said the incident exemplified the threat to public safety posed by ICE agents using aggressive tactics on city streets.“Federal authorities should adhere to local laws regarding vehicle pursuits and exercise common sense,” Baraka said. “Based on the damage they are inflicting on our communities, ICE has no business engaging in chases at anytime, anywhere — but especially in densely populated areas, and on roads still being cleared from a significant snowstorm.” Spokespeople for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and ICE did not immediately respond to requests for comment Wednesday.Wednesday’s incident occurred amid concerns over vehicle crashes by ICE officers chasing immigration suspects. Those come on the heals of concerns over the recent ICE shootings that left two U.S. citizens dead in Minneapolis.Last week, police in Chatham County, Georgia, told the local ABC affiliate, Channel 7, that a local teacher was killed in a Feb. 16 crash involving an ICE pursuit. The station reported that a man being pursued by ICE refused to stop, ran a red light, made a U-turn, and struck the teacher’s vehicle. Newark Public Safety Director Emanuel Miranda later added that Newark Police officers responded to the scene on an 8:20 a.m. call of a crash involving three vehicles. Miranda said the male driver attempting to flee ICE struck two other vehicles, including a ride-share vehicle occupied by the three minors, who were taken to University Hospital in Newark after complaining of pain. The mayor said the city was not involved in the attempt to pull over the van driver, and spokespeople for him and the public safety department could not provide information on him or his immigration case. No charges against the driver related to the accident or otherwise were announced Wednesday.Baraka was arrested by ICE last May in the driveway of the Delaney Hall immigrant detention center in Newark on a trespassing charge that was dismissed 13 days later. He criticized the agency on Wednesday for what he said was a reckless pursuit through the streets of New Jersey’s largest city. “ICE cannot come into our city and recklessly put innocent people in harm’s way while they try to apprehend their targets,” he said.Steve Strunsky covers the City of Newark and other subjects. He has reported, edited, and produced news in New Jersey and New York for over three decades at print, wire service, and broadcast outlets, including...