- The stolen WB Mason truck led NPYD on a wild chase across Staten Island on Thursday
- Two officers were injured and at least 25 cars, including three police cars, were damaged
- Suspect is wanted for a number of crimes in Staten Island and New Jersey
A crook driving a stolen box truck led police on a wild chase on Staten Island Thursday, damaging at least 25 cars and injuring two police officers.
The five-mile chase began shortly before 6 p.m. near Bishop Street and Cranford Avenue, where NYPD officers spotted and attempted to stop a WB Mason van stolen from New Jersey.
“We immediately began closing the bridges on Staten Island and closing several locations to try to slow this down,” NYPD Assistant Chief Joseph Gulotta said, according to WCBS TV.
The fleeing car thief rammed more than 20 vehicles, including three police cars, during the roughly 40-minute chase, police said.
A crook driving a stolen box truck led police on a wild chase on Staten Island Thursday, damaging at least 25 cars and injuring two police officers
WB Mason's van was stolen from New Jersey before he was on the run from police in New York
At one point, the stolen truck crashed into a row of parked cars on Ven Duzen Avenue near Beach Street, causing them to pile up.
“It was very loud, just a loud popping noise, and all the neighbors could hear a loud noise and screeching,” said Shaw-nee Dixo, owner of a nearby restaurant. WABC TV.
“All we just saw was chaos and it turned into a crime scene, all police cars in every direction.”
The chase ended when the driver jumped out of the car and fled on foot, but was apprehended.
The suspect is wanted in New York and New Jersey. The charges were pending Thursday evening and police have not yet named the suspect.
At some point, the stolen truck crashed into a row of parked cars on Ven Duzenlaan near Beach Street. The driver fled on foot but was arrested
“We immediately began closing the bridges on Staten Island and closing several locations to try to slow this down,” said NYPD Assistant Chief Joseph Gulotta.
The NYPD recently revised its policy on car chases, requiring a supervisor to sign off that the danger of allowing the suspect to escape outweighs the risks to officers and the public of conducting a pursuit.
In this case, the police assumed that the driver of the stolen truck was driving so erratically that he had to be stopped.
There were no reports of injuries to civilians in the incident.