At around 1 a.m. on Sunday morning, a fire chief from East Moriches Fire Department left his marked vehicle running in the Center Moriches Firehouse parking lot to warm up from the frigid temperatures, and two men thought it would be an ideal opportunity for a joyride.
The fire chief reported his red 2012 Chevrolet Tahoe missing, and Suffolk County Police reported to the scene. They looked at the surveillance footage, and were able to spot two men entering the vehicle and driving away. Suffolk police cruisers, local police departments, and a Suffolk County Police helicopter were all warned to watch for the SUV, and eventually it was spotted heading westbound on Montauk Highway.
Police pursued the perpetrators to Hampton Bays, then west on Montauk Highway, through the south shore villages of East Quogue, Quogue, Westhampton, and then into Eastport, according to Riverhead Local. All the while, the driver of the stolen SUV had the lights on and sirens blaring.
The chase ended when the Tahoe slid off the road and crashed into a utility pole on Montauk Highway in Eastport at about 8 a.m.
The men have not yet been identified, and were taken into custody. It has not been announced whether either of the men in the vehicle were injured in the crash.
[Source: Riverhead Local]