Florida Man Leads New York Cops on Chase and Drives Off Cliff Into Long Island Sound: Authorities
A Florida man was arrested on New York’s Long Island Monday after cops say he led them on a chase on the island’s North Fork and drove off a cliff in the town of Greenport, according to news reports.
Roger Foster, 56, of The Villages in Florida, was arrested and charged later that day with second-degree criminal contempt; third-degree criminal mischief; numerous traffic law violations; unlawful fleeing; and two outstanding arrest warrants, Southold Town police said.
Cops say Foster had allegedly slashed a tire on his ex-wife’s vehicle Monday morning that was parked at her place of work in the town of Southold’s municipality building and then fled the small town.
Foster gave chase on the way to Riverhead, which is about 30 minutes away, before turning around and heading back from whence he came, past Southold and to the nearby town of Greenport, Suffolk Times reported.
During the chase, authorities reportedly had multiple patrol cars and officers, as well as Suffolk County Aviation helicopters, Suffolk Times reported.
“At some point I think everybody we had working was involved in some capacity,” Town of Southold Captain Steven Grattan told Suffolk Times.
Town of Southold Police said they previously issued two warrants for Foster’s arrest for allegedly violating the terms of his ex-wife’s order of protection, Suffolk Times reported.
“Both [warrants] were for criminal contempt, one was from last year, one was from the beginning of this year,” Grattan told Suffolk Times. “He’s been living down in Florida, so when he tries to contact her it violates the order of protection.”
During the nearly hourlong chase, cops say Foster ignored an end-of-road barrier and drove his car off a cliff in Greenport and landed in the Long Island Sound, Patch reported.
“He drove through the guardrail and ended up off the cliff and bounced off the beach and into the Long Island Sound,” Southold Police Chief Martin Flatley told News12.
Flatley says officers were able to go to the beach and get him out from the vehicle and then placed him under arrest, News12 reported.
Flatley told News12 the suspect was “uninjured for the most part.”
In an email to Inside Edition Digital, Flatley says “Mr. Foster is in our custody in the hospital and has yet to be arraigned. Since he will remain hospitalized, his arraignment may take place at the hospital by a Suffolk County Judge.”
Suffolk County Courts told Inside Edition Digital to reach out to the Suffolk County District Attorney for further information. A spokesperson for Suffolk DA says they have “not been provided” with information on Foster’s case and told us to reach out to Southold Town Justice Court.
Southold Town Justice Court tells Inside Edition Digital they have not gotten information on Foster’s case yet either.
It is unknown if he has entered a plea or obtained legal representation.
Foster’s ex-wife reportedly works at Southold Town Hall Annex. Town Supervisor Al Krupski told Suffolk Times that following the tire slashing, the building’s doors were locked.
“We were prepared to lock the doors [at Town Hall],” Krupski told Suffolk Times. “We were following it, I talked to the chief a number of times when they were chasing the car. When the car came back east, the annex was closed and we were very concerned that the car would come back to Town Hall … Once the car kept heading east, we knew all the action had passed us by. We were prepared to take action but luckily it didn’t happen that way.”