After a chase, Long Beach police arrest suspected car thief from Island Park

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A 30-year-old Island Park man, who was suspected of stealing a car and tried to flee on a bicycle as police and a county helicopter pursued him, was arrested near the Long Beach Bridge on April 14, officers said.

Long Beach police said that at approximately 1:46 p.m., Officer Christopher Baldeo received a notification of a stolen vehicle through his police vehicle’s plate reader. Baldeo tried to make a traffic stop at the intersection at the National Boulevard and West Market street. The driver of the car fled.

Multiple police units began to search the area for the stolen vehicle, along with the Nassau County Police Department’s aviation unit.

The stolen car was found abandoned on the 700 block of West Chester Street and the driver was seen fleeing eastbound on West Bay Drive on a black bicycle.

Police Officers Brian Vais and Baldeo saw the driver riding southbound on Centre Street. After a brief chase, officers arrested the man, who was attempting to leave Long Beach, traveling north on the south side of the curb on the Long Beach Bridge.

Police arrested 30-year-old Joseph A. Minnieer, an Island Park resident. He was charged with third-degree criminal possession of stolen property, third-degree unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, third degree unlawfully fleeing a police officer in a motor vehicle, third-degree aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, and multiple traffic infractions.

After arraignment, Minnieer was remanded to the Nassau County Jail without bail.

Long Beach Police Commissioner Ronald J. Walsh commended said, “ The Long Beach Police Department did an exceptional job in an extremely stressful situation, apprehending a dangerous subject. I am happy to report there were no injuries reported or accidents that resulted due to the subject’s reckless behavior.”