A 15-year-old from Fairfield is being charged with several crimes after police say he sped away from them at up to 130 mph and caused a crash on Interstate 95 earlier this week that involved several cars.
New York State Police say the teen was driving a Lexus with Connecticut license plates that had been “switched.” They said the car wasn’t reported stolen.
The New Rochelle state police got a “Be On the Lookout” warning about a bad driver around 2:15 a.m. Monday, according to the department. After getting away from cops in New York City’s 4th Precinct, the car was seen traveling north on I-95.
A police report says that troopers stationed near Larchmont’s Exit 17 saw two cars “traveling at excessive speeds.” State police say that cops started to chase the cars, but they lost sight of the lead car and only chased the second one.
A news release from the state police said, “The pursuit lasted about three minutes, went five miles, and reached speeds of up to 130 mph.”
The agency said that four passengers and the 15-year-old driver were taken to the hospital with back and neck pain.
New York State Police say that the other people in the Lexus were three female teens from Bridgeport, ages 15 to 17, and a boy from Milford, age 16. A representative from the office said that the Lexus passengers are not being charged.
Police in the state say that three more cars were involved in the accident: a 2022 BMW X5, a 2023 Toyota RAV4, and a 2014 Mercedes Sprinter van. Along with the five kids in the Lexus, all eleven drivers and passengers in those cars were taken to the hospital by state police.
State police say that all 16 of the crash victims were finally sent home from their hospitals.
The 15-year-old Lexus driver is being charged with reckless driving, three counts of fourth-degree criminal damage, and fifteen counts of third-degree assault, according to the police. He is also charged with second-degree reckless endangering and leaving a police officer behind while driving a car.
The cops say that the parents of the minors involved were told about what happened.
The lead car that hid from police and refused to stop is still being sought after by officials in New York State.
