A Long Island man was indicted on assault and related charges after allegedly crashing into an unmarked police cruiser while fleeing officers and injuring two of them during his escape attempt, authorities said Thursday.
Jeffrey Fairweather, 43, of Nassau County, was spotted Sept. 2 by detectives with the Suffolk County Property and Auto Crime Unit as he entered the parking lot of a Medford car dealership and later left with allegedly stolen car parts, the Suffolk County Prosecutor’s Office said in a news release. press.
The parts – a bumper, two headlights and a grille – were allegedly removed from a 2023 Hyundai Palisade parked for sale in the lot.
When the two officers approached Fairweather, he allegedly ignored their orders to stop and got into his vehicle to flee.
During his escape attempt, Fairweather crashed head-on into an undercover police vehicle at high speed, then fled on foot, prosecutors said.
The crash caused significant damage to the police vehicle and injured a detective in the neck, back and foot.
About two hours later, police spotted Fairweather near a warehouse in the adjacent hamlet of Holbrook, and he again attempted to flee on foot.
During the chase, a Suffolk County police officer fell to the sidewalk, suffering injuries to his knee and a cut to his elbow that required several stitches, officials said.
Despite his second attempt, Fairweather was ultimately taken into custody and charged with several counts, including two counts of assault, criminal mischief and grand theft.
“Our police officers risk their lives every day to protect the community, and this defendant allegedly chose to put them in danger rather than face the consequences of his actions,” prosecutor Raymond Tierney said when announcing the indictment. “He now faces serious violent crime charges for allegedly harming 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 bail, according to online court records. He is due back in court on November 13.
