Brooklyn Man Dies In Police Car- Pelham Manor

[BIGRED1 71]

Brooklyn man passes out in police car, then dies after Hutch crash

By LESLIE KORNGOLD

lkorngol@lohud.com

THE JOURNAL NEWS

(Original publication: August 8, 2006)

PELHAM — An irate Brooklyn man passed out in a police cruiser after crashing his car on the Hutchinson River Parkway last night and died about 90 minutes later, Westchester County police said.

Steven F. Kelley, 45, of 2250 W. 11th St. was pronounced dead at 12:30 a.m. today at Mount Vernon Hospital, Westchester County police Chief Inspector Roger Rokicki said. The cause of death has not been determined, Rokicki said, but a crack pipe with apparent crack cocaine residue was found in his pocket at the hospital.

After responding to the 10:30 p.m. one-car accident scene on the northbound Hutch near Secor Lane, Pelham Manor police Officer Anthony Romano had to pursue Kelley on foot into the southbound traffic lanes where Kelley was trying to pull a motorist from his car. Police said they don't know what prompted his behavior.

Kelley head-butted and kicked the cruiser window and appeared to be hyper-ventilating and passing out at about 10:50 p.m. when police made an urgent call for an ambulance, Rokicki, said. CPR was performed and he was taken to Mount Vernon Hospital.

Kelley had crashed his car into the highway median.

Kelley's red Mitsubishi has been impounded, but had not been searched as of 10 a.m. today.

"The case was still being treated as an aided case," Rokicki explained, so no charges had been made against the man.

[20y2 43]

Why does Pelham Manor respond to a highway job, that's County's turf....

Brooklyn man passes out in police car, then dies after Hutch crash

By LESLIE KORNGOLD

lkorngol@lohud.com

THE JOURNAL NEWS

(Original publication: August 8, 2006)

PELHAM — An irate Brooklyn man passed out in a police cruiser after crashing his car on the Hutchinson River Parkway last night and died about 90 minutes later, Westchester County police said.

Steven F. Kelley, 45, of 2250 W. 11th St. was pronounced dead at 12:30 a.m. today at Mount Vernon Hospital, Westchester County police Chief Inspector Roger Rokicki said. The cause of death has not been determined, Rokicki said, but a crack pipe with apparent crack cocaine residue was found in his pocket at the hospital.

After responding to the 10:30 p.m. one-car accident scene on the northbound Hutch near Secor Lane, Pelham Manor police Officer Anthony Romano had to pursue Kelley on foot into the southbound traffic lanes where Kelley was trying to pull a motorist from his car. Police said they don't know what prompted his behavior.

Kelley head-butted and kicked the cruiser window and appeared to be hyper-ventilating and passing out at about 10:50 p.m. when police made an urgent call for an ambulance, Rokicki, said. CPR was performed and he was taken to Mount Vernon Hospital.

Kelley had crashed his car into the highway median.

Kelley's red Mitsubishi has been impounded, but had not been searched as of 10 a.m. today.

"The case was still being treated as an aided case," Rokicki explained, so no charges had been made against the man.

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[mfc2257 464]

Why does Pelham Manor respond to a highway job, that's County's turf....

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If it's in Pelham PD's territory it doesn't matter if it's on the highway or secondary road, they still have the ability to patrol and enforce. County and State PD may have the assigned responsibility to patrol highways in Westchester, but I'm nearly positive that local PD's juristiction isn't limited to the town roads.

[20y2 43]

If it's in Pelham PD's territory it doesn't matter if it's on the highway or secondary road, they still have the ability to patrol and enforce.  County and State PD may have the assigned responsibility to patrol highways in Westchester, but I'm nearly positive that local PD's juristiction isn't limited to the town roads.

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While I technically agree with you, as a police officer in a lower Westchester community I know for a fact that we are NOT the primary agency for anything that occurs on the highways. Any incident that occurs completely in another department's jursidiction is handled by the primary agency, whether it is the County for the parkways, NYSP for the interstates or MTA PD for things occuring on the train station property. Maybe, just maybe this started on Pelham's turf at Boston Road and the Hutch and then continued onto the Hutch itself (its possible, I passed the incident site while this occured and it was about 100 yards past the entrance ramp), but maybe they were just buffing a job.

[helicopper 1,050]

Why does Pelham Manor respond to a highway job, that's County's turf....

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Local agencies often respond to highway jobs because they're geographically closer to them. They don't handle it - they just hold it down for County or State and turn it over to them when they arrive.

Makes a lot of sense when you consider how far away the highway guys might be...

[WAS967 97]

While I technically agree with you, as a police officer in a lower Westchester community I know for a fact that we are NOT the primary agency for anything that occurs on the highways. Any incident that occurs completely in another department's jursidiction is handled by the primary agency, whether it is the County for the parkways, NYSP for the interstates or MTA PD for things occuring on the train station property.

Even so, if you were driving down the highway in your jusidiction to get from point A to point B and saw an incident that needed handling, you would stop no? Perhaps such is the case here. Or like you said, it might have started on local roads and moved to the highway.

It shouldn't matter who's "turf" it is. Agencies should work together for the common good.

[helicopper 1,050]

While I technically agree with you, as a police officer in a lower Westchester community I know for a fact that we are NOT the primary agency for anything that occurs on the highways. Any incident that occurs completely in another department's jursidiction is handled by the primary agency, whether it is the County for the parkways, NYSP for the interstates or MTA PD for things occuring on the train station property.

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Does that mean you'd give up a good felony collar because you happened across a robbery (for example) at an MTA train station? I know that I wouldn't give it up if I caught it. If it is within your geographical area of employment you can certainly take action regardless of "primary" status and if its a crime it doesn't even matter if you're in your geographical area you can still take action.

Turf is just that - turf. It belongs on the golf course not on the streets in emergency services!

[INIT915 1,119]

Does that mean you'd give up a good felony collar because you happened across a robbery (for example) at an MTA train station?  I know that I wouldn't give it up if I caught it.  If it is within your geographical area of employment you can certainly take action regardless of "primary" status and if its a crime it doesn't even matter if you're in your geographical area you can still take action.

Turf is just that - turf.  It belongs on the golf course not on the streets in emergency services!

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Sometimes "taking action" is responding because you are nearby and holding the situation down until the agency who will ultimately deal with it arrives. Just because you are only holding it down does not mean you are looking the other way.

[ny10570 745]

It was an MVA. The nearest officer responded. Thats the same way it works everywhere.

[helicopper 1,050]

Sometimes "taking action" is responding because you are nearby and holding the situation down until the agency who will ultimately deal with it arrives. Just because you are only holding it down does not mean you are looking the other way.

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Exactly my point about most accidents/incidents on the highways...

[20y2 43]

Does that mean you'd give up a good felony collar because you happened across a robbery (for example) at an MTA train station?  I know that I wouldn't give it up if I caught it.  If it is within your geographical area of employment you can certainly take action regardless of "primary" status and if its a crime it doesn't even matter if you're in your geographical area you can still take action.

Turf is just that - turf.  It belongs on the golf course not on the streets in emergency services!

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Police officers have statewide jurisdiction on crimes commited in their presence, if I arrest someone for robbery in Buffalo then the collar is mine. However, an investigation of a crime with the suspect gone on arrival is turned over to the agency whose jurisdiction it is in which the crime took place. I just questioned how Pelham Manor got the job, methinks they were listening to county's frequency since County doesn't normally call the local jurisdictions onto the highway, in this case Harry 1 or Charlie 1 should have had the job.

[IzzyEng4 427]

We call it Mutual Aid in the EMS & fire service, same thing. Your not going to pass by a car fire with people trapped in another town while in your truck and not help right?

[Shantz02 0]

The actual accident occured in a location that is visible from a local road in Pelham Manor. Often times, the residents of the streets that run along side the highway hear and see the accidents as they occur. (Happens with me all the time as I live along the Hutch in Pelham). When this is the case, the local resident usually calls the LOCAL PD.

Here in the Pelhams, when the local PD gets one of those phone calls, they usually send a unit to check it out (if any are available) while they notify the County PD. This also helps speed the notification of FD and EMS should it be needed.

In this particular case, PMPD got a call about an accident. In a nutshell, the car they sent to investigate arrived and was forced to detain a suspect who was creating more dangerous situations on the higway.

[dadbo46 50]

Does anybody have a comment about the perp dying ?

[cas2383 22]

most unfortunate...