After cops find NJ fugitive in a fridge, they put him in the cooler

SOUTH BRUNSWICK — Police arrested a man wanted on several warrants hiding in a refrigerator yelling at officers to shoot him, police said.

Dominick Zippo, 26, of the Monmouth Junction section of this township, ran when he was spotted by an officer on Main Street, according to police.  He ran into a house on Maple Street, where three additional officers entered the home in search of Zippo, police said.

Officers said they found him squeezed into a refrigerator and began negotiating with him to drop the 5-inch knife he was holding. Zippo refused and pleaded with the officers to shoot him, police said.

Police noticed Zippo look away from the officers, and they grabbed him and pushed him to the floor as he refused repeated orders to drop the knife, police said. Officers sprayed Zippo with pepper spray and he was taken into custody, police said.

Zippo was taken to the Middlesex County Correction Center and held pending $75,000 after getting a medical evaluation, police said. He was charged with robbery, resisting arrest and obstruction of justice.

The officers earned praise from Police Chief Raymond Hayducka for their work in a small space in a dangerous situation.

Police said Zippo was facing outstanding warrants from the Middlesex County Sheriff's Office, Edison, Woodbridge, Milltown, and North Brunswick.

"When speaking did not work, they took decisive action and neutralized the threat by overpowering the suspect. They showed courage and tenacity in successfully disarming and arresting the fugitive. Their actions exemplify the best of our agency,” Hayducka said.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com