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A Vanceboro man remains in custody as of May 7, 2026, after authorities say he fled from New Bern police on Sept. 29, crashed on a bridge, forced a woman out of her vehicle near Bridgeton, and led deputies on a pursuit into Beaufort County.
Markel Raheem Mattocks, 33, of J.A. Lilly Drive, was found in a wooded area and taken into custody about an hour after the pursuit ended. The Craven County Sheriff's Office released a timeline that placed the first attempted traffic stop at 11:15 a.m. and the bridge crash about 30 minutes later.
New Bern police first tried to stop the car Mattocks was driving. Instead of pulling over, he drove north on U.S. 17. Around 11:45 a.m., the vehicle was involved in a crash on a bridge. Authorities have not identified the bridge in their public timeline.
Here is how the events unfolded, according to law enforcement:
After the first crash, the incident took a much more serious turn. A woman who stopped to see whether the driver needed help was confronted by Mattocks. According to deputies, he got into her car, forced her out near Bridgeton, and left in her vehicle. The woman has not been identified publicly, and the sheriff's office has not said whether she was injured.
A deputy with the Craven County Sheriff's Office later found the woman's vehicle and tried to stop it. Mattocks kept driving. The pursuit went into Beaufort County and lasted roughly 25 minutes. According to the sheriff's office, speeds during the chase exceeded 100 mph.
The pursuit ended when the vehicle crashed at the intersection of Jones Road and Flat Swamp Road. Mattocks ran into a wooded area. Officers and agents from the Craven County Sheriff's Office, the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office, the New Bern Police Department, and N.C. Probation and Parole searched the area. They located Mattocks about one hour later and took him into custody.
The arrest came with a significant legal backdrop. At the time, Mattocks was on post-release supervision for a prior felony conviction involving trafficking in a Schedule I controlled substance, as well as a separate felony conviction for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
In North Carolina, post-release supervision is not the same as probation. It is the structured oversight that follows a prison term for certain felony offenders. People on post-release supervision must follow conditions set by the state. An arrest, even before a conviction, can be enough to trigger revocation proceedings. That means Mattocks could face consequences tied to the old cases, the new allegations, or both.
The new case also raises questions about how the alleged carjacking will be charged. The woman's vehicle was taken near Bridgeton, which is in Craven County. The final pursuit and crash happened in Beaufort County. North Carolina typically requires criminal offenses to be prosecuted in the county where they occurred. That could mean charges in two counties or a coordinated legal response from prosecutors in both jurisdictions.
As of this update, authorities have not released the specific list of new charges against Mattocks. It is also not clear whether the vehicle being taken will be formally charged as carjacking, larceny of a motor vehicle, or a related offense. The investigation remains open.
The case also serves as a reminder of how dangerous high-speed chases can be. Deputies have to balance the need to stop a fleeing suspect against the risks to other drivers, passengers, and officers. When a vehicle reaches speeds above 100 mph, the margin for error becomes very small.
There is also a broader safety lesson for drivers who come across crashes. Many people stop to help out of instinct. But without knowing who is inside a damaged vehicle or whether that person is upset, armed, or trying to flee, approaching a crash scene can be risky. The safer move is generally to stay in a locked vehicle, call 911, and wait for officers to arrive.
Authorities are asking anyone with information about the incident to contact the New Bern Police Department at (252) 633-2020 or the Craven County Sheriff's Office. Investigators are especially interested in statements from motorists who may have seen the pursuit along U.S. 17, near Bridgeton, or in the area of Jones Road and Flat Swamp Road.
The agencies involved have not released further details about Mattocks' court appearance, and no additional charging information had been made public as of the date of this update.
