Saratoga Springs man held in I-890 carjacking

PHOTOGRAPHER: Peter R. Barber

Police responded to a collision in the area of 1848 Watt St. in Schenectady.

SCHENECTADY — A Saratoga Springs man is in custody, accused of stealing a vehicle with its female driver inside last week on Interstate 890, state police said Monday.

Jose Colon, 47, faces one count each of second-degree robbery, a felony, and operating a motor vehicle impaired by drugs.

The incident happened just before 4:30 p.m. on Friday east of the Broadway 890 exit, police said. A female motorist entered the interstate headed east from Broadway when a man running in the roadway grabbed onto the bed of her pickup truck and climbed in, police said.

The man, later identified as Colon, then pried open her rear window and tried to climb inside the cab, police said. The driver, fearing for her safety, got out, police said. Colon then drove away, after first figuring out how to operate the manual transmission, police said.

A passing motorist saw the incident and stopped to help the victim, who was not injured. A short time later, police responded to a collision in the area of 1848 Watt St. in Schenectady. Police determined Colon first hit a garbage truck and then parked the pickup at 1848 Watt St., when it became disabled, police said. City police soon located Colon behind that address and he surrendered, police said.

“The state police commend the actions of the female driver of the pickup truck and the good Samaritan for remaining calm during the incident, not being confrontational with the carjacker and quickly and accurately providing details to the police, which led to the carjacker’s arrest,” a state police news release said.

State police were assisted by the Schenectady County Sheriff’s Office, Schenectady Police Department and the Schenectady Fire Department.

Colon was arraigned and ordered held.