Wyckoff Man Charged With Trying To Kill Two Police Officers

A Wyckoff man is charged with trying to kill two police officers by repeatedly attempting to run them down with his car in the parking lot of a Hawthorne Dunkin' Donuts, authorities said.

Phillip Hermida, 53, of Wyckoff, attempted to ram his Chevy Cobalt into two uniformed police officers -- Officers Christopher Birch from Midland Park and Michael Cedars from North Haledon -- in the Goffle Road parking lot around 2:30 a.m. Tuesday, according to Detective Capt. Richard McAuliffe of the Hawthorne Police Department.

The officers were able to avoid Hermida's vehicle, which instead hit the North Haledon police car, according to McAuliffe. Hermida then circled his car several times in the parking lot in an attempt to run down the officers, McAuliffe said in a news release.

Hermida drove out of the lot, his vehicle badly damaged, and was chased by Midland Park police through Ridgewood, Midland Park and Waldwick, before he was lost in the Allendale area, police said.

"Earlier in the day Midland Park Police received a report that a woman was standing outside of the Midland Park 7-eleven when the accused walked up to her and said 'Do you want to hear something funny?'" McAuliffe said.

Hermida then told the woman that he wanted to commit vehicular manslaughter against a Midland Park police officer, McAuliffe said. The woman immediately called Midland Park Police to report the incident.

Police tracked Hermida to a hotel in Seneca Falls, NY., where he was taken into custody by Seneca Falls police.

Seneca Falls Police found Hermida and arrested him without incident as a fugitive from justice that afternoon, according to the police.

Hermida was sent to the county jail without bail and awaits extradition back to New Jersey. He is charged with two counts of aggravated assault, two counts of attempted murder, criminal mischief and motor vehicle summonses.