I-684 Stolen Car Chase Ends In Crash, Foot Chase, Brush Fire, Arrest

LEWISBORO, NY — A police chase led to a crash and a brush fire along a Westchester County highway, according to first responders.

The Westchester County Police Department says that on Tuesday, around 2:50 p.m., troopers were notified of a stolen car traveling north on I-684. They attempted a traffic stop, but the driver fled, according to police.

The car then exited I-684 at Exit 6A, where it sideswiped an uninvolved vehicle. The driver of the uninvolved vehicle was evaluated at the scene and did not require additional medical attention, police said.

Soon after exiting the highway, the car lost control and crashed into a guardrail and embankment. The driver fled the scene on foot but was quickly found and taken into custody after a search.

The vehicle fire also caused a brush fire in the surrounding area, according to the Golden's Bridge Fire Department. Once the northbound exit 6A ramp was shut down by state police on the scene, GBFF trucks moved south on the northbound exit ramp to get to the burning vehicle.

"When we arrived, there was a lot of smoke and flames on two fronts — the vehicle fire had caused a brush fire that was spreading," Golden's Bridge Fire Chief Albert Melillo said. "This was a serious fire — a multiple fire event. We not only had to attack these simultaneous fires, but we had to prevent the brush fire from spreading further as it was already burning over close to two acres and encroaching on the brick building located on the cell tower grounds."

The brush fire was burning along in an area between the I-684 exit ramp and Route 22, from approximately the beginning of the exit ramp south and encroaching on the grounds of the cell tower north, according to the Golden's Bridge Fire Department.

Additional Golden;s Bridge fire crews were called in to prevent further spread of the brush fire.

Golden's Bridge firefighters and their mutual aid partners extinguished the vehicle fire with hand lines; they also used hand lines to extinguish the perimeter of the brush fire to prevent its spread before teams of firefighters with hand lines surrounded the brush fire with a full-on attack to extinguish it, GBFD officials said

Once the brush fire was extinguished, firefighters proceeded to "overhaul" hot spots — a procedure fire officials said involves firefighters rolling over the terrain with rakes to look for hot spots and hitting still smoldering areas with water from hand lines to make certain that the brush fire was completely extinguished and was not in danger of reigniting.

In addition to the Golden's Bridge Fire Department responding with 12 firefighters, mutual aid response included the Katonah Fire Department with a tanker and half dozen firefighters, and Croton Falls Fire Department with an engine, tanker and a half dozen firefighters. South Salem Fire Department provided coverage for the Golden’s Bridge Fire District while GBFD was at the scene.

"All personnel from the Golden's Bridge Fire Department and personnel from our mutual aid partners with the Katonah and Croton Falls Fire Departments worked well together," Chief Melillo said. "Our coordinated efforts safely extinguished the vehicle and brush fires, and prevented the brush fire from further spreading."

The suspect was charged with felony second-degree criminal possession of stolen property, misdemeanor seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, misdemeanor unlawful fleeing a police officer in a motor vehicle, misdemeanor leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident, and several traffic violations.