KEARNY / GARFIELD‑LODI, NJ – A Virginia man wanted for a string of hit‑and‑run, reckless‐driving and grand theft charges has been brought to justice — but only after triggering two “shelter‑in‑place” orders in Pennsylvania, then slipping his way into New Jersey.

Meet Christopher Emil Rodriguez‑Gonzalez, 27. According to the Carroll Township Police Department, he was staying at a home in the 500 block of Chestnut Grove Road in Dillsburg, PA when officers showed up. A family member allegedly helped him escape through a window. The same night, two separate PA townships ordered residents to shelter in place as police, K‑9 units and an aviation team searched for him.

His criminal record? It goes heavy:

• Felony warrants in Northampton County, VA: hit‑and‑run, fleeing & eluding, plus 16 misdemeanour counts of reckless driving.
• A felony grand theft charge out of Polk County, FL: more than $750,000 allegedly stolen.

After that wild search in PA, the fugitive made his way into New Jersey — until the United States Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force helped the Kearny Police Department take him into custody on Oct. 27.

Why this matters:

• Two PA townships went into full lock‑down mode (shelter‑in‑place) over one guy. That’s rare, serious.
• He skipped states — from Virginia, to Pennsylvania, to New Jersey — showing how mobile and resourceful these fugitives can be.
• It took federal & local agencies working together to stop him.

Keep this on your radar: when someone triggers shelter‑in‑place orders in PA and winds up arrested in NJ, that’s a major law‑enforcement event for our region.