A New Jersey man ‘intentionally’ drives his SUV into a police station while blasting Guns N’ Roses’ ‘Welcome to the Jungle’ ‘to avenge the woman who HYPNOTIZED him’
- John Hargreaves, 34, drove into the Independence Township police station on September 20
- That accident happened just minutes after Hargreaves crashed into the garage door of a Liberty Township home
- According to reports, Hargreaves tried to get revenge on a woman he claimed was hypnotizing him
A New Jersey man faces decades in prison after crashing his SUV into a woman’s home as revenge for hypnotizing him before crashing into a local police station to the tune of Guns N’ Roses’ “Welcome to the Jungle” .
John Hargreaves, 34, drove into Independence Township police headquarters on September 20 and caused significant damage while blasting the band’s 1987 hit.
When he got out of the vehicle, prosecutors said Hargreaves raised his hands and appeared to celebrate while loudly playing the Guns N’ Roses song on his car radio as officers took him into custody.
That crash happened just minutes after Hargreaves crashed into the garage door of a Liberty Township home, an act prosecutors say was intended to harass the homeowner, who is known to Hargreaves.
According to reports, Hargreaves tried to get revenge on a woman he claimed was hypnotizing him.
In this image, taken from a video released by the Warren County Prosecutor’s Office, police detain John Hargreaves, 34, after he drove his SUV through police headquarters in Independence Township, NJ on September 20.
“He wasn’t happy with the way it was being handled, and even though it was last year, for some reason he decided he was going to make an issue of it,” Warren County Prosecutor Jim Pfeiffer said.
No one was injured in the crashes, the Warren County Prosecutor’s Office said in a news release. However, at least one officer narrowly escaped being hit.
Independence Township Police Officer Khilian Bernard had just started his shift when Hargreaves’ vehicle came to a stop in the department’s squad room.
“I thought maybe someone accidentally put their foot on the accelerator instead of the brake,” Lt. Chris Prell said WFMZ.
“(Bernard) said, ‘There’s a car in the patrol room,’ and I thought, come on… it’s hard to believe.”
Police said he admitted to driving through the woman’s garage and will eventually be charged with that as well.
He then drove to the Independence Police Department because it was closest to his home and because he knew he would go to jail anyway, prosecutors said.
Hargreaves was charged with burglary, criminal mischief and weapons counts in both crashes.
John Hargreaves, 34, drove into the Independence Township police station on September 20, causing significant damage while belting out the band’s 1987 smash hit
When he got out of the vehicle, prosecutors said Hargreaves raised his hands and appeared to celebrate while loudly playing the Guns N’ Roses song on his car radio as officers took him into custody.
Independence Township Police Officer Khilian Bernard was just starting his shift at their office when Hargreaves’ vehicle came to a stop in the department’s squad room.
He also faces charges of terrorism, aggravated assault and causing widespread injury or damage as a result of the crash at the police station.
On the most serious charge, Hargreaves could be sentenced to up to 30 years in prison.
County prosecutors said they did not know whether Hargreaves had retained an attorney. A telephone number for Hargreaves could not be found.
Hargreaves remains incarcerated while the Independence Police Department begins rebuilding their station.