A man—described by the New York Daily News as a "career crook"—allegedly rammed an unmarked police vehicle on the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge Monday injuring two officers. Peter Guarneri, 47, faces 40 criminal charges after the wrong-way pursuit, prosecutors said Tuesday.
Police suspected Guarneri in a string of burglaries, when he allegedly hopped into a stolen 1999 Ford Econoline van in Brooklyn and headed toward the bridge. Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authorities officers in three separate vehicles started pursuing him, and an off-duty NYPD detective, James McCullough, cut him off and stopped his Toyota Camry in front of the van, authorities said.
Guarneri rammed the Camry from behind, and refused to get out of the van, spurring one of the TBTA officers, Eddie Fung, to smash his hand through the driver’s side window, according to a criminal complaint.
He then maneuvered past McCullough’s Camry, drove all the way down to the Staten Island side of the span, pulled a U-turn, and headed back to Brooklyn.
That’s when he slammed into an unmarked Fusion carrying NYPD Officer Stephanie Mazza and Sgt. Albert Cabello, according to the complaint. He rammed their car several times, trying to power through it, then jumped out and made a final, futile run for it, prosecutors said.
Mazza, who was driving the Ford, suffered neck and back pain, while Cabello suffered a cut to his head and pain to his right knee.
Guarneri has 32 past arrests.
