Driver injures NYPD officer while fleeing traffic stops; chaotic scene caught on video
Three attempted traffic stops, one car's path of destruction through Midtown, Manhattan
MIDTOWN, Manhattan (WABC) -- An NYPD officer is recovering after being injured by a reckless driver who avoided multiple traffic stops in Midtown, Manhattan.
At around 4:50 p.m. on Wednesday, officers from the Midtown South Precinct attempted to pull over a black Cadillac on West 39th Street and 7th Avenue.
The driver fled the traffic stop. This was just the first time they tried to flee.
In exclusive video obtained by Eyewitness News, you can see the car take out a fire hydrant on Park Avenue.
The Cadillac then misses a woman with a walker by mere inches.
"The car kept speeding down the street. I was crossing from this side to that side. The car, I had the light. His wheel hit me down here and the bumper came flying off," said Jan Baldin, the woman in the video.
The black Cadillac was then located on Madison Avenue and E. 30th Street, and officers once again tried to stop the vehicle.
When the driver fled the scene, they struck an officer and drove through an outdoor dining structure.
"I heard a large rumble maybe similar to like a tornado coming through," Patrick Beverly said.
Gustavo Marquez captured video of the crash and shared it on Instagram.
"I just see them car going back and forth hitting every car. That's the moment I got my phone out. And I just see this car going straight for the sidewalk and not giving anything. Just went for it and didn't stop," Marquez said.
Moments before Marquez started recording, witnesses say the suspect was ramming into officers, driving forward and then in reverse.
The vehicle fled for a third time and collided with another vehicle. The driver then abandoned their vehicle and fled the scene on foot.
"He came out of the car after the airbag went off and ran and escaped," Eitan Zar said.
The officer sustained an injury to the head and was rushed to Bellevue Hospital. He is expected to survive.
It is still unclear why officers tried to pull over the Cadillac in the first place.
There have been no arrests, and the investigation is ongoing.
RELATED: Eyewitness News is tracking crime and safety across New York City and in your neighborhood
----------
* Get Eyewitness News Delivered
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts
Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News
Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply.
