Witness Speeds To Nab Suspected Hit-And-Run Driver

Think about it for a second. Guy runs over pedestrian. Then, two cars chase each other at up to 100 mph during the middle of the day. Did any cops show up, spot the chase, or even respond?? NOPE.

If it wasn't for this guy, the driver would have undoubtedly got away.

I still think this guy is a hero. I wish someone would have chased down a driver that hit my husband. He got hit by a driver that was stopped at a red light and decided it would be funny (?) to go forward and hit him with his car. This was in the early afternoon, in downtown Manhattan, and we were with our toddler when we were crossing the street.

There was an injury, which fortunately did not require hospitalization. The scaries thing was that this type of psycho was on the road. Repeated calls to 911 for THREE HOURS yielded no police officers to check it out. We gave the license plate number, the make and model of the car, a description of the driver and all the specifics. Absolutely nothing was done. I paid the fee for one of those license searches online - they don't work, by the way, don't waste your time.

So, yeah, that's what the police get you. What other choice do we have but vigilantes?

No one should be driving that fast down city streets, cops or civilians, no matter the circumstances. Next time just get the plate number!

It's admirable to risk oneself to catch a criminal. But not while risking other people's lives. 100mph! No, please don't do that.

the people posting on this story saying that this guy is a hero really need to rethink things. this guy did a really reckless thing driving around residential streets at 80 to 100 miles an hour in hot pursuit of another car. Seems to me that this guy thought it was worth the risk of possibly killing someone walking down the street, just to be able to play policeman to entertain himself. he is extremely lucky that he didnt hurt any innocent bystanders. and for all the people down on the nypd....look im not huge supporter of the nypd but can some of us stop pretending that the nypd never does anything good...like fighting crime on a daily basis. i mean some of you people are really down on the nypd but im sure that if and when you need to call the police you will be greatful for their response.

Agree that the tow truck driver could have caused as much carnage as the hit-n-run driver he was pursuing. It's one thing if he had immediately cornered the other vehicle - it's another to pursue at 100 mph.

I am also tired of hearing that we somehow should be grateful to the NYPD if a citizen needs to call a cop. It is their JOB to serve you - they are not doing anyone a favor. Your taxes pay their salaries - they should be grateful they have secure government jobs. A mistake we have made is somehow elevating cops to some kind of higher status above the rest of the working citizens of this town. Let's can the hero worship of cops - it's gone to their heads.

i definately understand what your saying. i dont think we should worship cops as superheros. all i am saying is that some of the things that people have posted here are pretty ridiculous. look at what this idiot pasta boy posted : "vigilante justice seems to be the only way criminals can be stopped in this town". i mean come on as you stated cops are people with jobs and are paid to do these things but making comments like this about the merits of vigilante justice is just retarded. what this guy did was a pretty much criminally negligent. what he should have done was write down the plate number of the hit and run driver and then called the police with the info and allow them to do their jobs. but again i agree cops are sometimes seen as superheroes, which can be irritating

yes yes. but no one got hurt and this piece of shit got nabbed. in all likelihood, if this tow truck driver hadn't snapped into action we'd be reading yet another article about a hit-and-run that eluded police and everyone here would still be bitching about drivers.

so do you have anything else to complain about?

"But no one got hurt"? Your logic is that of a grade-schooler. "Snapped into action"? What this moron did was reckless and dangerous. It is not his job to snap anything except his cell phone open and dial 911. What was he going to do when he caught up with the guy? Kill him? Detain him? Beat the shit out of him? Give him a stern talking to? This guy was doing an amount of speed, allegedly, nearly three times the speed limit of the city. On that note I highly doubt he was going 80 in the city, if anyone has ever driven a vehicle on New York City streets, that amount of speed equates to the Delorean.

He is not a super-hero. We don't need vigilantes in the city. What did he think this was Gotham City? He really whipped his cape out and drove a 4-ton vehicle weaving in and out of traffic and running red lights endangering COUNTLESS additional lives while someone lay on the ground injured. If he had hit someone and killed them none of you would be saying shit. It would be criminally negligible homicide or vehicular manslaughter. I am surprised that HE didn't get pulled over and arrested by a police car who was watching him drive that way. His excuse of, "Sorry officer I was in PURSUIT of a vehicle that just committed a crime," would have amounted to him getting arrested for reckless driving, reckless endangerment, speeding, running a red light, unsafe lane change, failing to signal..." He would have gotten 100 points on his license and sent to Central Booking.

In the future, for all you stupid morons with egos who want to make the New York Post, go the way of writing down a license plate and calling 911. I don't know if anyone realizes but license plates are linked to VEHICLES. Vehicles are linked to their respective registered OWNERS. See where I am going with this? He would be eventually arrested. It doesn't matter when, he's do the time for it. The only additional charge he obtained from this was "leaving the scene of an accident with injuries," a minor misdemeanor, not a felony. If the NYPD isn't allowed to pursue vehicles in New York City above a certain amount of speed, what makes you think Barney the tow-truck driver can?

Oh and I'm not complaining, I'm just pointing out your ridiculous, childish argument. I'll be awaiting yet another idiotic response from you. Think carefully this time.

It's an interesting issue. On the one hand, the potential for carnage to innocents is pretty good if everybody decides to be a vigilante. On the other hand, the very best way to deter crime is to have a population (not just cops) that won't put up with criminal behavior.

I'm with the tow-truck driver. Hopefully in his shoes I'd do the same thing.

Once I tackled a guy stealing a bike, knocked him off the bike onto the ground and held him till others came and grabbed him and called the cops.

I sprained my wrist badly and missed a week of work. When I handed the bike over to its owner, in the excitement she just took it, walked away, and didn't even say as much 'thank you'.

Learned my lesson: Never be a vigilante.

Agreed.

If this guy had killed someone while traveling 100mph in the wrong direction, would he still be a hero?

While I applaud this guy's sense of civic duty and his risking his own safety to catch the bad guy; there is a reason cops don't get into car chases in this town. Car chases almost always end in wrecks and there are too many pedestrians in this town to be careening through the streets at 100mph. Police vehicles are pursuit rated and officers take extensive driver training and they still don't think it's safe.

if NYPD did what this guy did more often then I wouldn't be annoyed with them as much.

kudos to the tow truck driver.

If NYPD did what this guy did more often, there would undoubtedly be more bystander injuries.

[Posted from my iPhone while parked in front of a hydrant]

I second that, way to go Peter. Anyone here in disagreement, is probably on the NYPD payroll, using their police tags to park in a bus stop or fire hydrant and watch as someone else did the dirty work!

vigilante justice seems to be the only way criminals can be stopped in this town

Yes, because the police have never once solved a crime. Your insight is penetrating.

in this town so obsessed with hero worship, this tow truck driver is a genuine specimen. real heroes are people who bravely accept a call to duty even if it goes beyond one's job description.

and this story proves once and for all, hit-and-run drivers are sniveling wretches.

"police say witnesses should call the cops and not take matters into their own hands."

yeah, because NYPD has such a stellar record taking care of vehicular manslaughter charges.