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The incident unfolded in Putnam County on Wednesday, Nov. 27, beginning with a reported domestic assault on Stoneleigh Avenue in Carmel, according to the Carmel Police Department.
The suspect, identified as 47-year-old Noel Mendez Jr., of Fairview, New Jersey, fled the scene in a rented 2024 Chevrolet Express U-Haul van, striking multiple police vehicles during the pursuit, authorities said.
New York State Police joined the chase on Interstate 84, which then continued onto the Taconic State Parkway in Dutchess and Putnam counties. Mendez allegedly struck several uninvolved vehicles before exiting the parkway into Franklin D. Roosevelt State Park in the Northern Westchester town of Yorktown, where he drove off-road, narrowly missing pedestrians, police said.
After returning to the Taconic and traveling northbound, Mendez exited onto Route 6, Strawberry Lane, and finally Oscawana Lake Road in Putnam Valley, where troopers were able to stop the vehicle. Mendez was taken into custody without further incident, authorities said.
Mendez now faces several misdemeanor charges, including:
- Third-degree unlawfully fleeing a police officer in a motor vehicle;
- Fourth-degree criminal mischief;
- Reckless driving.
He was issued an appearance ticket for the Town of Putnam Valley Court on Tuesday, January 21, at 9:30 a.m., and was released to the custody of the Carmel Police Department.
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