Southampton Town Police conducting search after suspect flees on foot
(Long Island, NY) A car thief desperately leapt from the vehicle he had just stolen while it was still moving in a successful attempt to escape police early this week, according to Southampton Town Police.
Stony Brook Southampton campus police officers, responding to reports that a Mazda Familia had been stolen Monday evening, attempted to pull over a vehicle that matched its description driving on Dellaria Drive in Shinnecock Hills near to the college’s Southampton campus at 8:22 p.m., police said.
The driver proceeded to lead the cops on a frantic chase starting on Montauk Highway in Shinnecock Hills, which continued until the driver jumped from the still-moving car at the intersection of Middle Pond Road and Dellaria Avenue. The vehicle continued to accelerate through the intersection, crashing into a mooring in a creek in Middle Pond after plowing through a split rail fence, according to reports.
The suspect, who is described by police as a young man in his late teens-to-early 20’s with a light complexion, managed to escape on foot, cops said.
A Suffolk police helicopter, Suffolk sheriff’s K-9 Unit, and the Southampton Village police assisted Town police in conducting an exhaustive searching of the surrounding area for the suspect, after first securing a firm perimeter, police said.
Detectives request that anyone with information about this case call the Southampton Town Police Department Detective Division at 631-702-2230 or the Crime Tips Hotline at 631-728-3454, or email crimetips@southamptontownny.
