LI Man Steals SUV With Baby; Grandma, Good Samaritan Give Chase: PD

GREENPORT, NY — A grandmother and a heroic good Samaritan gave chase after her SUV was stolen by a Holtsville man in Greenport with her sleeping 14-month-old grandchild inside, police said.

On Valentine's Day, just after 2 p.m. the woman stopped on Front Street in Greenport with her grandchild secured in a child safety seat in the rear of her Mercedes-Benz SUV and entered a store briefly, leaving the child in the vehicle, Southold Town police said.

While she was in the store, the woman saw her SUV being driven away and heading west with her grandchild still secured in the vehicle, police said.

A good Samaritan who was parked in the immediate area saw what had happened, took the grandmother into his vehicle, and chased the SUV westbound on Route 25 in Greenport; he was caught the SUV near Moores Lane and cut it off on the shoulder, police said.

The grandmother, meanwhile, jumped out of his car, raced to her SUV and got inside the vehicle to save the baby, police said. The SUV continued driving west with the grandmother and the child both in the SUV, police said.

The thief was an unknown man in his 50s, police said.

The good Samaritan continued to pursue the Mercedes SUV westbound on Rt. 25 and got the Mercedes to stop near Silvermere Road, where the thief released the grandmother and child from the stolen vehicle and then continued westbound, police said.

While the good Samaritan was calling 911 to alert police of this incident, an officer in a sector car saw the grandmother, child and the good Samaritan standing on the shoulder of Rt. 25 in Greenport and shared information about the vehicle and a description of the driver to other sector cars, police said.

Within minutes, the Southold sector car operator saw the Mercedes SUV speeding westbound near Town Harbor Lane in Southold and attempted to catch up, police said. The man driving the stolen Mercedes sped through Southold Village, passing other vehicles and disregarding traffic signals until he struck a guardrail, drove up onto the Southold American Legion property, and then came to rest along Rt. 25, police said.

Responding officers quickly apprehended him without a struggle and transported him to police headquarters for processing, police said.

Paul G. Ludeman, 55, was arrested and charged with third-degree grand larceny, a felony; aggravated driving while intoxicated with a child in the car, a violation of Leandra's Law, a felony; acting in a manner injurious to a child, a misdemeanor; unauthorized use of a motor vehicle without the owner's consent, a misdemeanor; felony DWI; third-degree fleeing an officer in a motor vehicle, a misdemeanor; use of a vehicle without an interlock device, a misdemeanor; reckless driving, a misdemeanor, and multiple traffic violations, police said.