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The suspect, Steven Simkin, 23, of the Bronx, was arrested after an incident on Wednesday, July 10, when around 9 p.m. at Clarkstown officer noticed a vehicle parked in the underground parking garage of the Palisades Center Mall that matched the description of a vehicle that had fled the scene of a traffic stop days before, said Clarkstown Police.
The vehicle, a 2014 black Mustang Shelby, matched the description and the partial license plate information from the Monday, July 8, incident when the vehicle fled the scene.
While watching the vehicle, three men entered the vehicle and drove off from the parking garage. As the officer began to follow the vehicle onto the NYS Thruway, it sped away at speeds believed to be in excess of 130 MPH, weaving in and out of traffic and driving on the shoulder of the road, police said.
Due to the dangerous speeds and the extremely reckless behavior of the speeding Mustang, the officer decided not to pursue the Mustang.
Based on the vehicle and license plate information gathered by the patrol officer, the vehicle was located in a parking lot on W. 239th St., in the Bronx.
Simkin turned himself in to police and charged with reckless endangerment, unlawful fleeing a police officer and nine other traffic violations. He is being held on $5,000 bail and is being held at the Rockland County Jail.
The Mustang Shelby was impounded and towed back to Clarkstown Police Headquarters.
Simkin is a frequent participant in a group of car enthusiasts who meet in the Nanuet area, police said.
"We have received many reports of speed racing in that area and have taken an aggressive approach to apprehend offenders," the department said. " The department will confer with the Rockland County District Attorney’s Office to possibly seize the vehicle from the offender."
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