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New jersey criminal charge

Resisting arrest, eluding officer in New jersey

Current through 2026 New Jersey legislative session

Resisting arrest, eluding officer is a criminal offense under New jersey law, defined by N.J.S.A. 2C:29-2. Its classification is not fixed: New jersey assigns a different penalty class depending on the circumstances of the offense. The class that applies — and the sentencing range that follows from it — depends on which statutory variant fits the facts.

Defined by N.J.S.A. 2C:29-2.

What is the penalty for resisting arrest, eluding officer in New jersey?

Penalties for Resisting arrest, eluding officer
PenaltyRangeBasisAuthority
Jail / prisonup to 6 months (no statutory minimum) (Resisting arrest - basic — A person purposely prevents or attempts to prevent a law enforcement officer from effecting an arrest, without flight or aggravating factors.; not a crime under the NJ Constitution (2C:1-4); municipal court)discretionaryN.J.S.A. 2C:43-8
Fineup to 1000 usd (no statutory minimum) (Resisting arrest - basic — A person purposely prevents or attempts to prevent a law enforcement officer from effecting an arrest, without flight or aggravating factors.)discretionaryN.J.S.A. 2C:43-8
Jail / prisonup to 18 months (no statutory minimum) (Resisting arrest by flight — A person purposely prevents or attempts to prevent an arrest by fleeing from the officer.; first-offender presumption of non-incarceration may apply (2C:44-1(e), carve-outs))discretionaryN.J.S.A. 2C:43-6
Fineup to 10000 usd (no statutory minimum) (Resisting arrest by flight — A person purposely prevents or attempts to prevent an arrest by fleeing from the officer.; or up to double gain/loss (2C:43-3))discretionaryN.J.S.A. 2C:43-6
Jail / prison3 years to 5 years (Resisting arrest with force or risk of injury — The resisting-arrest offense (basic or by flight) involves use/threat of physical force or violence against the officer or another, or creates a substantial risk of physical injury to a public servant or another.; first-offender presumption of non-incarceration may apply (2C:44-1(e), carve-outs))presumptiveN.J.S.A. 2C:43-6
Fineup to 15000 usd (no statutory minimum) (Resisting arrest with force or risk of injury — The resisting-arrest offense (basic or by flight) involves use/threat of physical force or violence against the officer or another, or creates a substantial risk of physical injury to a public servant or another.; or up to double gain/loss (2C:43-3); offense-specific ceilings may exceed)discretionaryN.J.S.A. 2C:43-6
Jail / prison3 years to 5 years (Eluding officer - basic — A person operating a motor vehicle or vessel knowingly flees or attempts to elude a law enforcement officer after receiving a signal to stop.; first-offender presumption of non-incarceration may apply (2C:44-1(e), carve-outs))presumptiveN.J.S.A. 2C:43-6
Fineup to 15000 usd (no statutory minimum) (Eluding officer - basic — A person operating a motor vehicle or vessel knowingly flees or attempts to elude a law enforcement officer after receiving a signal to stop.; or up to double gain/loss (2C:43-3); offense-specific ceilings may exceed)discretionaryN.J.S.A. 2C:43-6
Jail / prison5 years to 10 years (Eluding officer - risk of death or injury — The flight or attempt to elude an officer while operating a motor vehicle or vessel creates a risk of death or injury to any person.; presumption of imprisonment (2C:44-1(d)))presumptiveN.J.S.A. 2C:43-6
Fineup to 150000 usd (no statutory minimum) (Eluding officer - risk of death or injury — The flight or attempt to elude an officer while operating a motor vehicle or vessel creates a risk of death or injury to any person.; or up to double gain/loss (2C:43-3); offense-specific ceilings may exceed)discretionaryN.J.S.A. 2C:43-6

Applies to current.

How is resisting arrest, eluding officer classified in New jersey?

The classification depends on the circumstances:

Classification variants for Resisting arrest, eluding officer
VariantClassificationWhen it appliesStatute
Resisting arrest - basicdisorderly persons offenseA person purposely prevents or attempts to prevent a law enforcement officer from effecting an arrest, without flight or aggravating factors.N.J.S.A. 2C:29-2undefined
Resisting arrest by flightcrime of the fourth degreeA person purposely prevents or attempts to prevent an arrest by fleeing from the officer.N.J.S.A. 2C:29-2undefined
Resisting arrest with force or risk of injurycrime of the third degreeThe resisting-arrest offense (basic or by flight) involves use/threat of physical force or violence against the officer or another, or creates a substantial risk of physical injury to a public servant or another.N.J.S.A. 2C:29-2undefined
Eluding officer - basiccrime of the third degreeA person operating a motor vehicle or vessel knowingly flees or attempts to elude a law enforcement officer after receiving a signal to stop.N.J.S.A. 2C:29-2undefined
Eluding officer - risk of death or injurycrime of the second degreeThe flight or attempt to elude an officer while operating a motor vehicle or vessel creates a risk of death or injury to any person.N.J.S.A. 2C:29-2undefined

Common questions about resisting arrest, eluding officer in New jersey

What degree of offense is resisting arrest, eluding officer in New Jersey?

It depends on the circumstances: resisting arrest, eluding officer ranges from a disorderly persons offense to a crime of the second degree in New Jersey under N.J.S.A. 2C:29-2.

Resisting arrest - basic: disorderly persons offense (N.J.S.A. 2C:29-2) · Resisting arrest by flight: crime of the fourth degree (N.J.S.A. 2C:29-2) · Resisting arrest with force or risk of injury: crime of the third degree (N.J.S.A. 2C:29-2) · Eluding officer - basic: crime of the third degree (N.J.S.A. 2C:29-2) · Eluding officer - risk of death or injury: crime of the second degree (N.J.S.A. 2C:29-2)

What are the penalties for resisting arrest, eluding officer in New Jersey?

Penalties for resisting arrest, eluding officer in New Jersey depend on how it is classified — from a disorderly persons offense up to a crime of the second degree — with the ranges set by N.J.S.A. 2C:43-8 and N.J.S.A. 2C:43-6; the full table of ranges by variant is published on this page.

Which New Jersey statute covers resisting arrest, eluding officer?

Resisting arrest, eluding officer is governed by N.J.S.A. 2C:29-2 (Resisting arrest, eluding officer).

Legal terms used in this law

This reference is informational and is not legal advice. Penalty ranges are the statutory classification ranges; sentencing in a specific case depends on its facts and history.