Cops Chase Stolen Police Car, Pursuit Ends In Hudson Valley

HUDSON VALLEY, NY — A man being taken to the hospital by police for evaluation on Memorial Day had other ideas and ended up stealing the officers' car, kicking off a car chase across the Hudson Valley.

On May 30, just before 6:30 p.m., the Schenectady Police Department reported that one of its marked patrol SUVs was stolen from Ellis Hospital by a person they had taken to the facility for an evaluation.

Schenectady police pursued the SUV, with state police assisting and then taking over as the lead agency when the stolen vehicle entered the NYS Thruway eastbound at Exit 25. The chase continued southbound past Albany, while a helicopter from the NYS Police Aviation Unit monitored the pursuit from the air.

The pursuit continued into Ulster County, where an Ulster County Sheriff’s Deputy successfully deployed a tire deflation device, rendering the stolen patrol vehicle immobile. Troopers arrested the driver, Ricky Izarry, 43, of Schenectady, and turned him over to Schenectady police.

Izarry now faces a slew of charges, including grand larceny, unlawfully fleeing a police officer and vehicle and traffic law violations, according to troopers.