A man police said had channeled his inner James Bond by rigging his motorcycle with an electronic license plate flipper allegedly led police on a high-speed chase Thursday night.

Michael Papagian, 27, of Fair Lawn, was charged Thursday with eluding and hindering, along with numerous motor vehicle violations after police said he sped off northbound on Route 208 when they tried to stop him for questioning.

Officers Edward Egan and Brian Rypkema were driving their patrol cars down Fair Lawn Avenue near Route 208 when both observed a man with a 2012 Suzuki GSX motorcycle riding alongside them, police said.

When the officers activated their emergency lights and tried to stop the man to ask him about a similar motorcycle that had been reported stolen in Fair Lawn a day earlier, he took off on them, police said.

With police in chase, the man, later identified as Papagian, fled north on Route 208 toward Hawthorne, and exited at Lincoln Avenue, police said.

He was eventually apprehended after crashing his vehicle on Lincoln Avenue near Harristown Road, police said.

Upon investigating the vehicle, police said they discovered Papagian had rigged it with a switch that, when activated, would flip up his license plate and obscure it from view.

Papagian was arrested and charged with eluding and hindering, along with other motor vehicle violations, but was not found to be involved with the motorcycle theft about which police had originally sought to question him.

"He was being more stupid than anything," one detective said.

Papagian posted bond, set at $20,000 with 10 percent option, and was released Thursday night.

He's scheduled to appear in municipal court on May 23.

--

Follow Fair Lawn Patch on Facebook and Twitter, and subscribe to receive our daily newsletter in your inbox each morning