NEW YORK (PIX11) -- Three women had the scare of their lives when their taxi became the target of a police chase spanning from Queens to Manhattan, authorities say.
The women called a medical transportation company to get a ride to a doctor’s appointment in Manhattan Wednesday morning.
As their ride was about to enter the Queens-Midtown tunnel from the outer borough’s side, MTA Police ordered the driver to pull over. The officers were part of a task force that was investigating vehicles with forged license plates.
However, police say instead of pulling over, the 33-year-old driver swerved around the cop, drove over traffic cones, and sped into the tunnel, all during 9 a.m. rush hour.
Multiple police vehicles headed into the tunnel, chasing behind the runaway driver while weaving past others, dash cam video shows. Officers were able to cut him off and surround him half way through the tunnel in a little under two minutes.
The three women from Westchester and Putnam county were crying hysterically after finally being freed from the jeep.
As it turned out, the driver had his license suspended seven times and the jeep he was driving had fake paper plates, according to authorities. He was also wanted by the NYPD for an alleged domestic assault in the Bronx from last month.
Police say the vehicle had two registration suspensions for unpaid violations as well as an expired inspection sticker and expired insurance.
The 33-year-old driver now faces almost 50 charges some of which include reckless endangerment, unlawful imprisonment, and assault by recklessly causing physical injury.
Dominique Jack is a digital content producer from Brooklyn with more than five years of experience covering news. She joined PIX11 in 2024. More of her work can be found here.
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