NY, NJ Police Team Up to Capture 3 Men Who Crashed Stolen Car on Palisades Parkway

Police from communities along the Rockland County and Bergen County border teamed up this afternoon to capture three men who are accused of crashing a stolen car on the Palisades Interstate Parkway and fleeing from the wreck, according to police.

Lt. Michael Coppola of the Palisades Interstate Parkway Police in New Jersey said the car involved, a Honda, was stolen from Manhattan and detectives are continuing the investigation.

The crash and a subsequent manhunt along the parkway in New Jersey and along Route 9W took place shortly after 1 p.m. today. Coppola said the PIP police received numerous phone calls about a black Honda that was missing a wheel being driven aggressively on the parkway north of the Exit 1 interchange in Engelwood Cliffs, NJ.

PIP Officer Richard Dey found the Honda crashed just north of the Exit 4 interchange in Alpine, NJ, and off duty police officers passing in the area reported seeing three men running away from the Honda after the crash.

PIP Officer Jeffrey Kimbro and Officer Frankie Garrett found one of the men running in the woods near the scene of the crash. Coppola said New York State police troopers and officers of the Orangetown Police Department assisted with the arrest of a second man at Route 9W and the Exit 4 interchange.

PIP officers, Orangetown police, Alpine, NJ, police, New York State troopers and a Clarkstown police K-9 unit searched the area of the Lamont-Doherty Observatory in Palisades for the third man from the crash. Coppola said that after about 40 minutes Orangetown officers John Makara and Richard Holihan found the third man walking along a Lamont-Doherty roadway and arrested him without incident.

Charged were:

Lawrence Ferdinand, 18, of West 144th Street, Manhattan. Police said he was the driver and he is suspected of having an affiliation with the Trinitarios gang. He's acccused of auto theft, receiving stolen property and eluding police.

Christopher Duval, 21, of Broadway, Manhattan, a passenger in the car, accused of auto theft, receiving stolen property and eluding police.

Jesus Hernandez, West 143rd Street, Manhattan, a passenger in the car, accused of auto theft, receiving stolen property and eluding police.

All three were taken to PIP police headquarters, and bail was later set for all three at $70,000 each. They face a hearing on Tuesday.