High Speed Car Chase Ends Tragically & More in Today’s News

New York- Police chased a convicted felon yesterday over 40-miles of the thruway with speeds of up to 100 mph.  The Rochester man led troopers on the chase from Fultonville to Albany. The chase ended with 25-year old Ricardo Bernabeu, Jr. trying to turn onto Exit 23 and his car sliding out of control after it hit a guardrail and barreled into nearby woods.  Bernabeu was dead within seconds of the crash.  Police had tried pulling him over around 4:30am, but he speed off when troopers got near.  .

Massena- A Mohawk has been indicted on felony and misdemeanor charges for digging up the capped toxic landfill near his reservation home.  57-year old Larry Thompson drove a backhoe through the fence of the former General Motors plant in Massena last August and dug up a half acre.  After the arrest, Thompson admitted he was frustrated with the government decision to cap the landfill instead of removing chemicals, blaming the pollution for decades of family cancer.

Albany- Police arrested three people Saturday near Princetown after 5.1 pounds of marijuana were found in a car that was pulled over.  22-year old Samer Abdelhak has been charged with criminal sale and criminal possession of marijuana and obstruction of governmental administration.   24-year old Randy Weiderman and 21-year old Jocelyn Bishop were also arrested.  All three are from Gloversville.

Schenectady-Police talked down a man yesterday that was ready to jump off the Cotton Hollow factory bridge over I-890 in Schenectady.  Motorists called 911 around 10am to report a man had scaled the safety fence of the span at Hulett Street connecting Mont Pleasant to Hamilton Hill.  The man’s name has not been released, but he was taken to the hospital for a mental health evaluation.

Troy- A building on RPI’s campus has been shut down due to a chemical spill Monday night.  The building houses classrooms, 90 laboratories, and numerous offices.  Four students were in the lab at the time of the spill, but were not injured.  Mark Marchand, an RPI spokesman, said the chemical leaked out of a machine because of faulty valve.  The building will remain closed until the odor is gone.