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Shirtless, Shoeless Man Leads Officers On Lengthy Chase In Westchester, Police Say

A 19-year-old man faces charges after leading officers on an extensive chase through woods, streams, and neighborhoods in Northern Westchester following his theft of a car, police said. 

The suspect was eventually caught in the yard of a residence on Pollywiggle Lane in Pleasantville.

The suspect was eventually caught in the yard of a residence on Pollywiggle Lane in Pleasantville.

Photo Credit: Google Maps/Pixabay via Franz P. Sauerteig

The incident began on Friday, July 28 just before 11:30 a.m., when authorities identified a stolen Ford traveling in Lewisboro, according to Westchester County Police. 

Just after this, a Patrol sergeant found the car on the Saw Mill River Parkway in Bedford and tried pulling it over. However, the driver would not stop and kept driving south before officers were able to catch up with it just past Marble Avenue in Thornwood. 

Once the car was brought to a stop, the driver then left the vehicle and ran into a wooded area next to the parkway, police said.

Authorities then began establishing a perimeter with the help of the Pleasantville and Mount Pleasant Police Departments as well as state police, which resulted in numerous police vehicles being stationed on the shoulders of the Saw Mill River and Taconic State Parkways. 

In addition to patrol officers and ATV units, an Aviation Unit helicopter was also deployed to help with the search process. 

Although the perimeter was set up, the suspect still managed to evade authorities for several hours and was spotted in Graham Hills Park in Mount Pleasant in addition to wooded areas along the Saw Mill River and Taconic State Parkways. 

As officers pursued the man in blistering heat and humidity, they discovered shoes and a shirt that he had left behind. This helped tracking K-9 officers sniff out the man's scent, which eventually led to his capture in a yard on Pollywiggle Lane in Pleasantville just after 2:30 p.m., hours after the search began. 

The suspect, a 19-year-old Albany man whose name was not released, was charged with criminal possession of stolen property and unlawfully fleeing a police officer. 

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