Left: Julio A. Romano-Baez. Photo courtsey of New York State Police.
Early Sunday morning, 33-year-old Julio A. Romano-Baez was clocked driving 113 miles per hour with his headlights out on the New York State Thruway in Ulster County, according to a press release from the New York State Police. Then he reportedly tried to escape arrest by driving the wrong way against traffic.
Romano-Baez, from the Bronx, was first spotted by state police officers driving a black BMW north on I-87 at 3:26 a.m. on January 26, 2014, the press release states.
The police pursued Romano-Baez into the Malden Service Area, where he allegedly tried to shake them by driving the wrong way out of the rest area into northbound traffic.
During the chase, Romano-Baez reportedly made multiple U-turns and drove off-road, all without his headlights on. Eventually, according to police, he crashed the car into a guardrail while driving against traffic.
After crashing, Romano-Baez allegedly fled on foot and was captured with the held of a State Police K-9 unit. He was arrested around 4:15 a.m. near in the town of New Baltimore, charged with reckless endangerment, fleeing a police officer, criminal mischief and various vehicle and traffic law charges, and was remanded to the Greene County Jail.
One other driver reportedly crashed a car trying to avoid Romano-Baez as he drove in the wrong lane, and sustained minor injuries.
Read the full press release from the New York State Police below:
Wrong way driver leads to pursuit and foot chase on the New York State Thruway
On Sunday January 26, 2014 at approximately 3:26 a.m., State Police Troop T from SP Kingston observed a black BMW, operated by a man later identified as Julio A. Romano-Baez, 33, of Bronx, NY, traveling north on I-87 at 113 miles per hour with no headlights.
When Troopers caught up to the vehicle at the Malden Service Area, the BMW sped away exiting the service area traveling south in the northbound lanes.
State Police drove south in the south bound lanes with lights and sirens warning on-coming traffic. After traveling approximately 1 mile in the wrong direction, Romano-Baez made a u-turn and continued north in the north bound lanes, gaining a lead on police.
During the incident, the BMW was observed driving off the road through a grassy area behind several businesses in what appeared to be an attempt to exit the Thruway without going through the tolls.
Troopers in a second unit were stationary a few miles up the road and in position to intercept the BMW. At that time, they observed the vehicle driving the wrong way again, still with no headlights, when it crashed into a guiderail just prior to reaching their location.
When units arrived at the scene seconds later, the operator fled into the brush and a foot chase began. As other Troopers arrived to the location they observed another vehicle spun out in the lanes just near the crash. The operator of that vehicle told police he swerved to avoid the oncoming BMW and crashed into the guiderail. He sustained a minor injury to his hand and was treated and released at the scene.
A State Police K-9 Unit arrived at the location of the search and began to track the suspect. At approximately 4:15 a.m., Romano-Baez was located and taken into custody without further incident.
Romano-Baez was transported to SP Catskill for processing. There he was charged with the following: Reckless Endangerment in the 1st Degree, a class D felony Fleeing a Police Officer in a Motor Vehicle in the 3rd Degree, a class A misdemeanor Criminal Mischief in the 4th Degree, a class A misdemeanor Various Vehicle and Traffic Law Charges
Romano-Baez was arraigned in the Town of New Baltimore Court and remanded to the Green County Jail on $20,000 cash bail or $40,000 bond.
