New Details Released In Chase Of NY Robbery Suspects Through Stamford: CT State Police

STAMFORD, CT — The Connecticut State Police on Thursday announced the charges against two New York robbery suspects who were chased across state lines into Stamford on Wednesday.

Jonser Hernandez-Mota and Betsy Bermudez, both 27 and of the Bronx, N.Y., were found hiding in private yards near the Merritt Parkway on Wednesday afternoon after a chase that included multiple law enforcement agencies, according to police.

Hernandez-Mota, who was identified as the driver, did not have a valid license to operate a motor vehicle and also had multiple warrants in five different states, including several fully-extraditable warrants, state police said in a news release Thursday morning.

Hernandez-Mota faces a series of charges in Connecticut, including:

Two counts of interfering with an officer; two counts of first-degree reckless endangerment; engaging police in a pursuit; disobeying the signal of an officer; evading responsibility; two counts of reckless driving; failure to maintain lane; operating a motor vehicle without a license; two counts of driving the wrong way; disobeying a traffic control signal; improper parking on a limited access highway; and reckless use of a limited access highway by a pedestrian.

Hernandez-Mota was held on a $150,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in Stamford Superior Court on June 26.

Bermudez, the passenger, was charged in Connecticut with interfering with an officer and reckless use of a limited access highway by a pedestrian. She was released on a $10,000 bond and will appear in Stamford Superior Court on July 16, according to state police.

According to CT State Police, at approximately 2:18 p.m. on June 25, Troopers from Troop G - Bridgeport were notified of a black 2020 BMW X3 that was wanted by the New York City Police Department in connection with the assault and robbery of an off-duty NYPD officer, as well as another strong-armed robbery earlier in the day.

Stamford Police Assistant Chief Richard Conklin said on Wednesday that approximately five people robbed and beat an off-duty NYPD officer, saying an exact location was unknown due to "a lot of moving parts" as the chase unfolded. He noted two people were chased to Stamford.

An NYPD spokesperson told Patch that on June 25 around 12:49 p.m., officers responded to the vicinity of the Pelham Parkway and Bronx River Parkway in the Bronx, within the confines of the 49th Precinct.

Arriving officers were informed that approximately five unidentified individuals approached a 38-year-old man and punched him in the face and head, and then forcibly removed jewelry and fled the location in a dark sedan, the NYPD spokesperson said. The victim was taken to a local area hospital.

It's unclear what role Hernandez-Mota or Bermudez played in the incident.

CT State Police learned the BMW was traveling into Connecticut on I-95 on Wednesday afternoon.

A Trooper in the area, as well as Troop G Emergency Dispatch utilizing CT Department of Transportation cameras, saw the BMW traveling the wrong way down the I-95 north Exit 7 entrance ramp onto Canal Street in Stamford, CT State Police said.

Troopers located the vehicle and attempted a motor vehicle stop, but the driver engaged police in a pursuit during which a CT State Police vehicle was involved in a collision with other vehicles on Summer Street.

Several people were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, CT State Police said.

The BMW continued to the Merritt Parkway northbound Exit 34 entrance ramp where it crashed in the woods, state police said, noting that witnesses reported seeing a male and female flee on foot from the vehicle.

After a search involving various state and local agencies, including helicopter units, Hernandez-Mota and Bermudez were taken into custody after a brief foot pursuit, CT State Police said. Hernandez-Mota was later taken to the hospital for a medical complaint.

The Stamford Police Department, Greenwich Police Department, NYPD, Westchester County Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation assisted in the incident, CT State Police said.