Luxury SUV Stolen From Nassau Home, Rams Police Car: Cops

ROSLYN ESTATES, NY — Two Queens men and a Yonkers teen were arrested over the weekend after police said they were found in a stolen luxury SUV that intentionally hit a police car, nearly ran over detectives and hit parked vehicles.

A 2019 Land Rover was stolen Thursday from a Roslyn Estates home on The Intervale, Nassau County police said. Around 1 a.m. Saturday, police found the vehicle on 80th Street in East Elmhurst with three people inside. When detectives approached the vehicle and identified themselves, the SUV intentionally rammed into a police car, sped off backwards — narrowly missing detectives on foot — and smashed into two parked vehicles, police said. The trio ran on foot in different directions, and all three were caught after short foot chases, police said. No one was hurt.

Matthew Garcia, 22, of Corona, was driving the SUV, police said. He faces five counts of 3rd-degree grand larceny, three counts of petit larceny, and criminal possession of stolen property.

Gabriel Lora, 18, who was in the front seat, and a 17-year-old were responsible for other auto thefts and stole items from vehicles in multiple locations throughout Nassau County since April, police said. Both face two counts of criminal possession of stolen property.

All three were scheduled to appear Sunday in First District Court in Hempstead.