A Long Island man was indicted on assault and related charges after allegedly crashing into an unmarked police vehicle while fleeing from officers and injuring two of them during his attempted getaway, authorities said Thursday.
Jeffrey Fairweather, 43, of Nassau County, was spotted on Sept. 2 by detectives with the Suffolk County Property and Auto Crime Unit as he entered a Medford car dealership’s parking lot and later left with allegedly stolen car parts, the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office said in a news release.
The parts — a bumper, two headlights and a front grille — had reportedly been stripped from a 2023 Hyundai Palisade parked for sale in the lot.
When the two officers approached Fairweather, he allegedly ignored their commands to stop and got into his vehicle to flee.
During his attempted escape, Fairweather crashed head-on into an undercover police vehicle at high speed and then fled on foot, prosecutors said.
The crash caused extensive damage to the police vehicle and injured a detective on the neck, back and foot.
About two hours later, police spotted Fairweather near a storage facility in the adjacent hamlet of Holbrook, and he once again tried to flee on foot.
During the chase, a Suffolk County police officer fell on the pavement, sustaining knee injuries and a cut on his elbow that required several stitches, officials said.
Despite his second attempt, Fairweather was eventually taken into custody and indicted on multiple charges, including two counts of assault, criminal mischief and grand larceny.
“Our police officers risk their lives every day to protect the community, and this defendant allegedly chose to endanger them rather than face the consequences of his actions,” District Attorney Raymond Tierney said when announcing the indictment. “He now faces serious violent felony charges for allegedly injuring the very people who put themselves in harm’s way to keep Suffolk County safe.”
Fairweather appeared in court Thursday and was ordered held on $100,000 bond, according to online court records. He’s expected back in court on Nov. 13.
