Speeding teen flees Rotterdam police, crashes

PHOTOGRAPHER: Kathleen Moore

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A teenager who nearly died while fleeing police overnight will survive, Rotterdam police said.

The man, whose name has not been released, was seen speeding down I-890 just after midnight Wednesday without his lights on, Lt. Michael Brown said.

A Rotterdam police officer tried to pull him over near the Rice Road exit, but the man refused to stop.

“The vehicle sped off and subsequently lost control and crashed,” Brown said.

The chase spanned the length of I-890, from the Rice Road exit to the Highbridge Road exit. There, at 12:20 a.m., the vehicle rolled repeatedly, landing well off the road.

Police believed the man’s injuries were life-threatening. He was rushed to Albany Medical Center Hospital.

But they learned later Wednesday that the man would recover.

“The injuries are not as serious as initially thought,” Brown said. “They’re releasing him tomorrow and we’re going to be picking him up.”

The man is 18 and lives in Amsterdam. He was driving with an unrelated female passenger, age 14, who was also injured. She was taken to Ellis Hospital.

Both were wearing seatbelts and appeared to be sober, Brown said.