Gilmore Girls alum Scott Cohen and his wife Anastasia Traina are happy they were both injured in a high-speed chase and crash involving a man and police.
The drama unfolded on June 29, when a man pulled over for a routine traffic stop in Queens, New York, fled the scene. A chase ensued, ending when the driver collided head-on with Cohen’s vehicle in Brooklyn.
“We thought we were dead,” Cohen, 62, admitted Page Six while attending the premiere of his HBO series The Penguin on Tuesday in New York City.
“My wife’s arm is completely deformed,” said the actor who plays Luca Falcone in the series, before speaking about his own condition nearly three months after the terrifying incident.
“I have a broken sternum, which should never heal. It’s called a nonunion break and it will never heal,” the actor shared.
Scott Cohen, a 62-year-old former Gilmore Girls student, expressed gratitude that his and his wife’s lives were spared after he was unknowingly involved in a high-speed chase last summer that left them both injured: ‘We thought we were dead’
It sounds like a script for an action movie, but the whole drama began on that day in late June, when the suspect in a routine traffic stop decided to drive at high speed into Greenpoint, in the Brooklyn area.
That got the case into trouble with police, who chased him until the driver crashed straight into Cohen’s vehicle, according to Astoria Message.
According to officers, the suspect got out of his car at the scene and ran across Kingsdale Avenue, attempting to elude police. At that point, his car caught fire.
According to authorities, during the foot chase, the man shot at an officer, who then returned fire.
The suspect was last seen jumping a fence and escaping under the Greenpoint Avenue Bridge. At last check, he was still at large.
Cohen later posted a video of himself recovering in a hospital bed, including footage of his wrecked car in the middle of the street.
The clip also shows the couple’s totaled car, with the front smashed in and airbags visible, and a brief glimpse of one of his arms, which had to be put in a cast.
Despite being seriously injured three months ago, Cohen recovered enough to attend the New York City premiere of The Penguin on Tuesday, September 17.
Cohen will play Luca Falcone while Colin Farrell takes on the title role of Ozswald ‘Oz’ Cob in The Penguin, a spin-off of The Batman (2022), starring Robert Pattinson
“With broken bones, bruised bodies, a lot of drugs and the impact of a random act of aggression that struck us, we take this chance,” Cohen shared in an Instagram post on July 2.
Speaking about his condition, he said: ‘I am very angry that my existence now revolves around healing, but at the same time I am also grateful that @afunnybunnypicture (wife Anastasia Traina) and I are both here to experience the love and incredible generosity of friends and family.’
He concluded, “We know it when we know it in life. The fragility of all of us and how life can change in the blink of an eye. Lessons we don’t want to learn but are often forced to. I guess I’m here to tell the story,” he shared along with the hashtags, “#subarulove #trulygrateful #friends #family #carchase #randomacts #nyulangone #subaru.”
While still recovering, Cohen was able to attend the September 19 premiere of The Penguin, which featured cast members Colin Farrell, Cristin Milioti, Theo Rossi, Clancy Brown and Michael Zeger.
“I have a broken sternum that should never heal. It’s called a nonunion break, and it will never heal,” the Penguin actor shared alongside a photo of his totaled car sitting in the middle of the street as the hunt for the driver continued.
“My wife’s arm is completely mangled,” Cohen said of the terrifying crash.
“I am so angry that my existence right now is all about healing, but at the same time I am also grateful that @afunnybunnypicture (wife Anastasia Traina) and I are both here to experience the love and incredible generosity of friends and family,” Cohen shared from the hospital.
He called the experience of being part of such an all-star cast “really cool,” and went on to say that this is truly a dream come true.
“My whole childhood I dreamed of being Superman, of being Batman,” Cohen explained. “Those were my dreams. When I was really young. And then I got the chance to do some of them.”
The Penguin is a spin-off series to the superhero action film The Batman (2022), starring Robert Pattinson as the Caped Crusader. The series follows Oswald “Oz” Cobb/The Penguin as he attempts to take over the criminal underworld in Gotham.
The Penguin, which premiered in the United States on HBO on September 19, explores the rise of the Penguin in Gotham City’s underworld.
Fans were already raving about the highly anticipated series after its first 70-minute episode, with some even calling it one of the ‘best shows of the year’.
Some even compare the series to HBO’s iconic mafia series The Sopranos, which is considered by many to be one of the best series of all time, as both series deal with organized crime.
Cohen spoke of their broken bones, bruised bodies and the medications they needed to get through the difficult times they had faced during their recovery.
Cohen and Traina, who have a son together named Liam, celebrated their 35th wedding anniversary on June 3
A total of eight episodes are scheduled to air through November 10.
Cohen and Traina, who have a son together named Liam, celebrated their 35th wedding anniversary on June 3.
Shortly after his marriage, he landed a role in Jacob’s Ladder (1990). This was his professional acting debut and the beginning of a long and successful career.
He appears to be best known for his television work, including his role as Max Medina on Gilmore Girls (2000–2003), the CBS miniseries Perfect Murder, Perfect Town (2000), the NBC miniseries The 10th Kingdom (2000), and the indie romcom Kissing Jessica Stein (2001).