Passaic man charged after striking two Clifton police cars

A Passaic man, Matthew Cancel, has been charged with driving while intoxicated and assault by auto after striking two parked Clifton police vehicles on Route 21 early Sunday morning. The incident occurred around 3:55 a.m. while officers were investigating a separate crash near River Road.

Upon impact, Cancel’s Acura MDX burst into flames, and the fire spread to one of the police cars. Two officers standing outside the vehicles narrowly avoided being struck, with one officer forced to jump over a concrete divider to escape. One officer inside a vehicle sustained a head injury, and a passenger in the SUV suffered a shoulder injury. All injured parties were transported to hospitals for treatment.

Records indicate that Cancel has a significant history of traffic violations, having received at least 120 summonses from New Jersey police agencies since 2007. He is currently being held at the Passaic County Sheriff's Office Corrections Hub.