Joyride Lands Tinton Falls Man in Ocean County Jail

Apparently, Joseph Stanavich of Tinton Falls had a good reason to ignore police lights and keep tooling along Route 37 in Toms River in a pickup truck Friday. Authorities say it was stolen in Eatontown.

Stanavich, 67, has been charged with eluding police, possession of a stolen motor vehicle, and driving violations, along with possession of property stolen elsewhere in Monmouth, investigators said.

Toms River PD Sergeant Christopher Anderson ran a check on the 2003 Chevy truck while tailing Stanavich in the westbound lanes near Vaughn Avenue with his emergency lights glaring at about 1:00 AM, police said. Stanavich stopped the truck near Clifton Avenue.

It was while rummaging through parked vehicles that Stanavich discovered the pickup with keys inside it, police said. He was placed in the Ocean County Jail in Toms River with bail set at $50,000.