South Orange Driver Found Guilty, Fled Police – Twice, Prosecutors Say

SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — A South Orange man who represented himself in court has been convicted on eluding charges in connection with two separate incidents in 2024, prosecutors announced Tuesday.

A jury found Moa Mengesha, 43, of South Orange, guilty of two counts of second-degree eluding police, according to the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office.

Mengesha represented himself at trial.

Prosecutors said the charges stem from two separate incidents in South Orange, during which Mengesha was spotted operating a motor vehicle with a fictious license plate displaying the word “Traveler.”

Here’s what happened, prosecutors alleged:

“On August 22, 2024, South Orange police officers attempted to stop the defendant while he was driving on Irvington Avenue. The defendant initially stopped his vehicle. When officers discovered that the vehicle was not registered and asked him to turn the vehicle off, the defendant instead placed the vehicle in drive and sped away. At the time, two officers had their hands on the vehicle and could have been dragged as a result of his actions.”

Mengesha allegedly tried to flee from police in his car again just over a week later, prosecutors said:

“On September 2, 2024, police officers again attempted to conduct a motor vehicle stop on South Orange Avenue and Sloan Street. Surveillance video shows the defendant making a K-turn to avoid striking an officer. In doing so, [Mengesha] drove onto a curb and then onto a sidewalk. [Mengesha] then ran a red light into a busy intersection with oncoming traffic, causing another vehicle to swerve to avoid a collision. He then ran through a second red light, driving around a vehicle that was stopped.”

Mengesha is scheduled to be sentenced on March 20.

The Essex County Prosecutor’s Office credited the South Orange Police Department for assisting with the investigation.

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