New Haven Teen, 14, Steals Car, Flees From Police, Crashes Car in East Haven: Police

EAST HAVEN, CT — A 14-year-old New Haven teen stole a vehicle, fled from an East Haven police officer at a high rate of speed and crashed his car after striking two utility poles in East Haven, which led to a section of Main Street being closed Wednesday morning, police said.

It began at 3:23 a.m when an officer of the East Haven Police Department was responding to a stolen motor vehicle complaint on Thompson Avenue, Police Lt. Joseph M. Murgo said.

While enroute, the officer observed a grey Honda stopped at a red light at the intersection of Thompson Avenue and Main Street with its headlights off, police said. This vehicle was in close proximity of the stolen vehicle complaint. The stolen car was reported as a Honda, police added.

The vehicle was stopped a distance short of the stop bar line, police said. The officer pulled alongside of the operator, later determined to be a 14 year-old juvenile from New Haven, police said. The officer attempted to advise the operator that his headlights were off, police said.

The operator looked at the officer with a blank stare and ignored him, police said. The officer then attempted to signal the operator to roll down his window, police said. At this point, the operator shook his head at the officer and then took off at a high rate of speed traveling west bound on Main Street, police said.

The officer turned around and activated his lights and sirens, advised dispatch of the incident, and attempted to catch up to the vehicle, police said. Due to the officer having to turn around his patrol car, the Honda was nearly out of sight, police said.

As the operator went around the bend on Main Street near La Bamba Restaurant (460 Main Street) the officer lost sight of the vehicle, police said. Upon coming around the bend, the officer encountered a large amount of smoke and downed power line wires, police said.

The officer then observed that the vehicle had crashed into a telephone pole in front of 503 Main Street, police said.

"It should be noted that 21 seconds passed from the time the officer advised dispatch that the vehicle was fleeing to the time the officer arrived at the accident and had covered approximately a half mile," Murgo said in a statement.

As the officer exited his patrol vehicle, he observed the operator exiting the driver seat of the vehicle when he was taken into custody, police said. At that point the officer’s primary concern was to provide medical attention to the operator, police said. The operator was transported to Yale New Haven Hospital for minor injuries and has since been released, police said.

It was later determined that the vehicle was taken from a family member, police said. Charges will be filed against the operator at a later date, police added.