New Jersey man 'deliberately' drives his SUV into a police station while blasting 'Welcome to the Jungle' by Guns N' Roses 'to avenge woman who HYPNOTIZED him'
John Hargreaves, 34, drove into the Independence Township police headquarters on September 20
By Stephen M. Lepore
Daily Mail
Oct 2, 2023
In this image taken from video released by the Warren County Prosecutor's Office, police detain John Hargreaves, 34, after he drove his SUV through the police headquarters in Independence Township, N.J. on September 20
A New Jersey man faces decades in prison after driving his SUV into the home of a woman 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 the Independence Township police headquarters on September 20, causing significant damage while blasting the band's 1987 smash hit.
As he got out of the vehicle, prosecutors said Hargreaves put his hands in the air and appeared to be celebrating while loudly playing the Guns N' Roses song on his car stereo as officers took him into custody.
That crash happened just minutes after Hargreaves had driven into the garage door of a home in Liberty Township, an act prosecutors said was intended to harass the homeowner, who is known to Hargreaves.
According to reports, Hargreaves was attempting to get revenge on a woman that he claimed hypnotized him.
'He was not happy with the way that was handled, and even though it was last year, for some reason, he decided he was going to make it an issue,' said Warren County Prosecutor Jim Pfeiffer.
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 struck.
Independence Township Police Officer Khilian Bernard was just beginning his shift as Hargreaves' vehicle came to rest in the department's squad room.
'I thought maybe somebody just accidentally put their foot on the gas instead of the brake,' Lieutenant Chris Prell told WFMZ.
'[Bernard] said, 'there's a car in the patrol room,' and I was like, come on ... it's hard to believe.'
Police said that he admitted to driving through the woman's garage and will eventually face charges for that as well.
He then drove to the Independence police station because it was closest to the home and because he knew he was going to jail anyway, prosecutors said.
Hargreaves was charged with burglary, criminal mischief and a weapons count in both crashes.
John Hargreaves, 34, drove into the Independence Township police headquarters on September 20, causing significant damage while blasting the band's 1987 smash hit
As he got out of the vehicle, prosecutors said Hargreaves put his hands in the air and appeared to be celebrating while loudly playing the Guns N' Roses song on his car stereo as officers took him into custody
Independence Township Police Officer Khilian Bernard was just beginning his shift at their offices as Hargreaves' vehicle came to rest in the department's squad room
He also faces counts of terrorism, aggravated assault and causing widespread injury or damage stemming from the police station crash.
The most serious charge could see Hargreaves sentenced to 30 years in prison.
County prosecutors said they did not know if Hargreaves had retained an attorney. A telephone number for Hargreaves could not be located.
Hargreaves remains imprisoned as the Independence Police Department begins work rebuilding their station.
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