STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — The NYPD arrested three men who were traveling in a luxury car stolen from New Jersey during a dramatic pursuit on and around the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge on Wednesday morning, authorities said.
Trapped by authorities and other vehicles stalled on the bridge, the three suspects abandoned the 2020 Range Rover on the upper level and fled on foot, according to multiple sources.
In an apparently desperate bid to escape, the men jumped from the upper level to the lower level and then climbed a fence into Fort Wadsworth, said one source with knowledge of the investigation.
Two of three individuals were apprehended immediately by personnel from the U.S. Coast Guard and NYPD, according to a spokeswoman for the NYPD’s Deputy Commissioner of Public Information.
Following a search that extended for blocks near the bridge, police apprehended the third individual, the NYPD spokeswoman said.
Police detected earlier movements for the car but the drama on the bridge began around 10:45 a.m. after officers received an alert that the vehicle had entered the Staten Island-bound span from Brooklyn, according to police sources.
At that point, numerous officers were positioned to block the entrance to the tolls on Staten Island.
In response to the blocked roadway and traffic congestion, the Range Rover allegedly made a “U” turn and traveled against the traffic while unsuccessfully attempting to flee. The stolen vehicle struck an unknown number of cars, causing minor injuries and property damage, according to police sources.
The three men, ages 18, 19 and 24, who all live in New Jersey, were taken into custody and they face charges that include criminal possession of stolen property and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, according the police spokeswoman.
The emergency response caused the temporary closure of the bridge and congestion on both the Staten Island and Gowanus expressways.
More information will be posted when it becomes available.
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