Police Car Hit After Pursuit on Newbridge Road

A police pursuit of a stolen vehicle caused an accident on Newbridge Road Wednesday afternoon and left one Seventh Precinct officer with minor injuries.

At approximately 4:10 p.m., a New York State trooper was in pursuit of a stolen vehicle heading northbound on Newbridge Road, police said.

According to witnesses, a Seventh Precinct unit followed about one minute behind the state trooper. Cars were stopped at a light heading northbound, so the officer pulled into the southbound lane and attempted to drive through the intersection when a van headed east on Bellmore Avenue struck the police car on its passenger side, instantly deploying the squad car's airbags.

The van attempted to stop, but could not avoid the trooper at the intersection, witnesses said. The officer pulled up along the side of Newbridge Road at the Valero Gas Station where he received medical attention shortly after.

The officer's sirens and lights were on when he entered the intersection, one witness said.

According to police, the officer had minor injuries and was taken to the Nassau University Medical Center as a precaution.

The pursuit started with state police on the Wantagh Parkway around 4 p.m. and after traveling through Bellmore, the suspect was eventually apprehended at an unknown location, police said.

Both the Bellmore and North Bellmore Fire Departments were on the scene for assistance, as well as several ambulances and more than a dozen police cars.