Charges likely in collision with Saratoga Springs cop

PHOTOGRAPHER: Lee Coleman

A Ballston Spa man — already awaiting sentencing in an alcohol-related accident — allegedly forced a woman driving a car in which he was riding into the path of a city police cruiser Tuesday afternoon.

Police said the accident happened at 1:37 p.m. when a Saratoga Springs police car operated by Officer Daniel Noeker was going south on Route 9 near Kaydeross Avenue West and collided with a northbound 2007 Nissan 350Z operated by a 50-year-old woman.

The passenger in the woman’s vehicle, Aurelio R. Bidinost, 45, allegedly grabbed the steering wheel and deliberately steered it into the path of the oncoming marked police car, city police said. Noeker was able to take evasive action and avoid a head-on collision, however the two vehicles did collide on the passenger sides, causing minor damage.

Police said Bidinost and the woman may have been involved in some type of dispute immediately prior to the collision. She eventually regained control of the vehicle and pulled over. No one was injured but Bidinost was transported from the scene to the Saratoga Hospital for treatment of a pre-existing injury, police said.

Saratoga County District Attorney James A. Murphy III said Bidinost was convicted July 13 in County Court of second-degree assault and second-degree vehicular assault; that stemmed from a Dec. 23, 2011, incident in which his vehicle struck the back of a tow truck and became airborne on Route 50, coming to rest on top of a vehicle heading in the opposite direction.

Bidinost had a blood-alcohol level of 0.17 percent at the time of the crash, Murphy said. The woman in the other vehicle was seriously injured but is expected to make a full recovery.

Saratoga Springs Police are expected to charge Bidinost with first-degree reckless endangerment, with the possibility of additional charges being lodged after an investigation, according to a city police statement.