An Auburn man is facing multiple charges after police say he led officers on a dangerous pursuit through downtown Oswego early Saturday morning, putting pedestrians and law enforcement at risk.
According to the Oswego Police Department, officers observed a tan 1997 Chevrolet S-10 pickup truck being driven recklessly at approximately 2:09 a.m. on West Bridge Street near West Second Street. Police said the driver ran a red light and continued westbound at a high rate of speed.
Officers attempted to stop the vehicle, but the driver, later identified as 37-year-old Andrew Jones, whose last known address was in Auburn, refused to pull over and instead drove in an increasingly dangerous manner, according to police.
Investigators said Jones drove into opposing lanes of traffic, ran additional red lights, and repeatedly sped through the heavily populated downtown corridor while pedestrians were in the area.
Due to the escalating danger, Oswego Police terminated the pursuit and shifted their focus to keeping pedestrians out of the roadway and attempting to disable the vehicle using stop sticks.
Police said Jones then began performing burnouts in several intersections while additional agencies responded to assist, including the Oswego County Sheriff’s Office, which later reinitiated the pursuit.
Authorities said Jones at one point drove directly toward an Oswego County Sheriff’s sergeant who was outside his vehicle attempting to deploy stop sticks.
The pursuit ended around 2:52 a.m. when Jones pulled into the Byrne Dairy parking lot and was surrounded by law enforcement. Police said he surrendered without further incident. No injuries were reported.
Jones was taken into custody pending arraignment in Oswego County CAP Court. His vehicle was impounded.
He has been charged with first-degree reckless endangerment, unlawfully fleeing a police officer in a motor vehicle in the third degree, driving while impaired by drugs, reckless driving, and 27 additional traffic violations.
The Oswego Police Department thanked the Oswego County Sheriff’s Office, New York State Police, Oswego County District Attorney’s Office, and SUNY Oswego Police Department for assisting in the incident.
Anyone with information or video footage related to the incident is asked to contact Oswego Police at 315-342-8120.
The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
