State police say a car theft suspect picked up following a wild incident Saturday afternoon along the Garden State Parkway near Holmdel has now been arrested three times in two years for similar crimes.

The incident happened around 2 p.m. Saturday near Bayshore Hospital and ended in Union County. Police were able to nab three of the four suspects -- two of them have prior records.

State police say one of the suspects arrested Saturday, Unique Woodard, was also arrested nearly two years ago to the day in Middletown and then again last December in Wayne again for vehicle thefts. Monmouth County Sheriff Shaun Golden says bail reform is clearly broken.

“This is a failed state law policy bail reform that was enacted back in 2017, and we see the statistics county after county, particularly in our county,” says Golden.

State police say a stolen BMW X4 out of Totowa was found wrecked in the left lane near the hospital. Four people ran away from the scene. Police say one suspect was found hiding in the woods by a home on Holmdel Road and arrested, while two others were caught in the hospital parking lot. 

The fourth suspect allegedly stole a green Lexus from Holmdel Road. Police gave chase on the parkway all the way to Union County. During the chase, a state police vehicle crashed with two other vehicles. The trooper and another person were slightly injured. The fourth suspect in the Lexus got away. 

“We do not want vehicle chases in the middle of the afternoon on a busy weekend here in Monmouth County, unfortunately it's the only way we are going to apprehend these individuals,” says Golden.

But Golden says it's the change to cashless bail back in 2017 that has had the most impact on the statewide increase in auto thefts. Prior to bail reform, the county averaged less than 150 thefts a year -- the numbers are already well over 500 for 2022.

Golden says because of catch and release, juveniles fail to receive educational programs to steer them away from the crimes and adults miss out on corrective behavioral programs.

The second adult suspect arrested, Dayvon Savage, was previously arrested several years ago on illegal gun and ammunition charges.