Police: Stolen vehicle suspect struck Providence police cruiser, faces 11 charges

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — A man police said was inside a stolen vehicle in Providence and then drove at officers after a pursuit into Cranston on Sunday now faces a long list of charges.

Police said a cruiser also caught fire after the man drove the stolen vehicle onto an embankment.

Justin Rose, 35, faces 11 charges in connection with the incident.

A police spokesperson said officers initially located a recently reported stolen vehicle on Sassafras Street in Providence Sunday.

Police initially thought the vehicle was unoccupied, the spokesperson said, but Rose then sat up in the driver’s seat as officers approached.

Police said Rose refused to comply with officers’ commands and then drove toward one of the officers before striking a police vehicle.

Police then pursued Rose before he drove onto an embankment on Wellington Avenue in Cranston, the spokesperson said.

Police said vehicle Rose was driving caused a pile of leaves to catch on fire and then became fully engulfed in flames.

A police vehicle also caught fire during the pursuit, police said.

In this case, he faces three counts of felony assault and one count of assault on police in addition to other charges.

Court records show Rose has a lengthy criminal history, dating back to 2017.

Rose has faced charges including larceny, possession of a stolen vehicle, violating a protective order, breaking and entering, vandalism, robbery, and domestic violence.

He has been charged with various offenses by police in Pawtucket, Providence, Cumberland, Cranston, East Providence, Bristol, West Warwick, Warwick, North Smithfield, and North Providence.

He was also charged with eluding law enforcement in a high-speed pursuit in 2017 in Pawtucket.

After his arraignment in Providence District Court Monday, Rose was sent to Superior Court as a bail violator.

A Superior Court judge ordered him held without bail.

A police report obtained by ABC6 News Tuesday states the woman who reported the stolen vehicle had been at Hasbro Children’s Hospital for an appointment.

The woman told police a man, who police said was Rose, approached her and claimed to be a valet worker for the hospital, and then took her keys.

When that woman left the appointment with her children, she was told by hospital security that the man she handed her keys to was not actually a valet employee.

This story was updated on 12/2/2025 to reflect the outcome of Rose’s 12/1/2025 court appearance and add details about the stolen vehicle report.