Warwick mayor recovering after being dragged by vehicle in parking lot
WARWICK, New York (WABC) -- The mayor of the Village of Warwick is recovering after acting as a good Samaritan and being struck and dragged by a driver on Saturday.
Police responded to the area of a CVS near Main Street around 4:30 p.m.
Village of Warwick Mayor Michael Newhard noticed a man fall and tried to help him up, but the man got back up and continued walking and falling into the parking lot before getting into his car.
The mayor tried to stop the 42-year-old man from driving and took away his keys, but the man pulled out a spare set of keys and started the vehicle.
When the mayor tried to stop him again, the man drove off -- dragging Newhard through the parking lot and striking several cars in the process.
"At that point I was holding on for dear life, he started hitting cars, one after the other, all I could hear was crunching and I was holding onto him and he gave me a tour of the CVS parking lot," Newhard said.
A U.S. Parks officer who was in the parking lot at the same time broke a window of the man's pickup truck and stopped him. The driver was handcuffed until police officers arrived.
Six parked vehicles were struck during the incident.
The driver was taken to the hospital for evaluation and testing and the mayor was also treated for injuries and released that night.
Newhard said he is bruised but otherwise OK.
Charges are pending against the driver and the investigation into the incident continues.
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