A Kiryas Joel ambulance corps member faces charges of reckless driving for allegedly running a patrol officer and other motorists off the road in a frantic dash to get to a traffic accident on Route 17.
Officers arrested the first responder, and cited him for 21 violations of vehicle and traffic laws in the Feb. 18 incident.
According to a police report, the first responders vehicle sped head-on toward a Village of Chester patrol officer on Brookside Avenue, forcing the officer to quickly maneuver his vehicle out of the way.
The first responder had his lights and sirens on in an apparent attempt to get to a Route 17 rollover that already was in the process of being cleared by Chester rescue workers, according to the report.
The victims in that rollover also had been determined to be uninjured, and they had refused medical attention, the police report said.
It was unclear Tuesday who had made the call to Kiryas Joel Ambulance, but it is well known that EMS workers from the Hasidic village rush to calls from members of their religion, even if other first responders already are at the scene tending to the wounded.
According to the report, the first responder drove at excessive speeds, as well as down the center of Brookside Avenue, forcing cars in the turning lanes to quickly veer out of the way — some into the path of oncoming traffic.
The Hasidic EMS worker then went through the red light at the intersection of Brookside and Summerville Way, where he made a left to get to the Route 17 Exit 126 on-ramp, the report said.
The pursuing Village of Chester officer called ahead to State Police, who were at the scene of the rollover, and asked them to detain the first responder upon his arrival.
The first responder was given 15 different traffic tickets by Chester village police, as well as an additional six tickets from state police, whose troopers also cited the first responder for driving recklessly.
Village of Chester police Chief Peter Graziano said ambulance corps members, like all first responders, have leeway in obeying traffic laws when responding to emergencies, but they must use “due care.”
“Running people off the road just isn’t allowed,” he said. The chief added that emergency officials in the village doesn’t often drive carelessly.
“Just because you’re a first responder, it doesn’t give you the excuse to drive like a maniac,” Graziano said.
(Source: Times Herald Record)
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13 Responses
The Times Herald Record is a known anti-semitic rag that uses unacceptable journalistic practices, such as quoting something as “well known” in this story without any citation.
I’m in no way excusing such reckless behavior.
But, 21 tickets is overkill.
What’s next, public execution for the “Hasiddic EMS first responders” who get too excited?
Stop him, detain him, give him a ticket or two maybe. But 21 tickets is typical overkill which I seriously doubt was in the interest of law enforcement. REVENGE REVENGE REVENGE for the wayard Hassidics who the locals (including some LEO’s so love to hate and malign as monsters).
Yuck
why was my blog erased?
They rush plenty to save members of other religions who are involved in traffic accidents on 17 and the Thruway too! I have seen this with my own eyes.
How typical of this piece of overrated fish wrap!
” “Just because you’re a first responder, it doesn’t give you the excuse to drive like a maniac,” Graziano said.”
No – but then neither does being a Police Officer in a Police Car give you the right to go through red lights or numerous other traffic violations, unless you are on an actual call. And turning on your lights and sirens for a moment, just to go through the intersection, does not qualify as a legitimate emergency.
he might need some retraining
Looks like a very one sided article, I wonder why it only came up so late after this happened as I see this already took place Feb.18, and for the “Record”, my opinion it should be called the “Rag-ord” (nothing mor than rags) for what it’s known with full of hatred against this community.
I don’t care who you are, you don’t run a police officer off the road. Period.
HaShem yerachaim.
If the article is accurate, the Hatzolah member was in the wrong. You don’t rush like that, run people off the road, and enter the highway counter-flow.
He endangered himself and others.
@yitzyk: under NYS Vehicle and Traffic Law a Police Officer is allowed to go without lights and sirens under some conditions. You have no way of knowing when they are trying to approach a scene quietly. I’ll put up with a cop running a light like that rather than racing like a maniac.
In most EMS services, he would be fired immediately.
This is ridiculously outrageous!! This is a volunteer! He puts his own life in danger to try to help others, fine, he drove a little wild you can give him a ticket for it, but 21 tickets is pure “HATE”.
What he said that it’s “well known…” Let me tell you something, my cousin -a volunteer EMS member- performed mouth-to-mouth on a filthy Polish women, not because he’s getting paid for it, or because he liked her, he did it because he likes humanity.
So instead of giving him the courtesy and letting him go with a ticket or 2, you give him “21” tickets, and calling him a maniac??
up north – This might be a one-sided article, but I don’t see any of these accusations that you claim in the article. The article might be based on anti-semitism or it might not. This guy should just pray he will get off on all these tickets and won’t lose his license for good! Noone is above the law!
avrumele – “This is ridiculously outrageous!! This is a volunteer! He puts his own life in danger to try to help others, fine, he drove a little wild you can give him a ticket for it,”
He may put his own life on the line, but that doesn’t give him the right to put anyboby elses!
“but 21 tickets is pure “HATE”.”
It’s up to the cop to issue as many violations that he feels occured. If some of these didn’t occur, the Judge will throw them out.
“What he said that it’s “well known…” Let me tell you something, my cousin -a volunteer EMS member- performed mouth-to-mouth on a filthy Polish women, not because he’s getting paid for it, or because he liked her, he did it because he likes humanity.”
I doubt this was twenty years ago, when they didn’t have pocket masks. If he did mouth-to-mouth that was his choice, to be exposed like that. That’s one of the reasons they started with Hands-only CPR.
He doesn’t necessary like humanity, but he likes filthy mouthes.
“So instead of giving him the courtesy and letting him go with a ticket or 2, you give him “21″ tickets, and calling him a maniac??”
Maybe they called him a maniac because he drove like one!