New Jersey

Citywide Manhunt for BMW Driver Who Fled NJ Police, Crashed in SoHo

What to Know

  • Authorities say a BMW fled police in New Jersey before taking off into the Holland Tunnel and crashing into a Corvette in lower Manhattan
  • The driver of the BMW got out of his mangled vehicle and ran away on foot after the crash, police said
  • The driver of the Corvette suffered minor injuries and was taken to an area hospital

Police were searching for a man on the run Tuesday morning, hours after he allegedly fled police in a stolen vehicle, sped through the Holland Tunnel and crashed into another car in SoHo, authorities said.

The two cars collided just minutes after a New Jersey State trooper tried to stop a cream-colored BMW X5, which authorities later learned had been stolen, for speeding in Newark. The BMW was traveling on I-78 at about 1:53 a.m. and sped away eastbound as the trooper followed with lights and sirens on, according to police. 

The BMW dashed into the Holland Tunnel and the New Jersey trooper called off the pursuit. Police later said that the BMW was stolen from Long Hill Township, New Jersey. 

After exiting the Holland Tunnel in lower Manhattan, the BMW crashed into a white Corvette near Broome and Greene streets around 2 a.m. The force of the crash sent the BMW flying into 470 Broome Street, where it slammed into the front of an art museum. 

The BMW was left mutilated — its front completely mangled and its hood wrapped around a pillar. The Corvette was down the street, its top sheared off.

Police said the driver of the BMW broke the windshield and fled the area after the crash. He was last seen running westbound on Broome Street towards Wooster Street.

A task force is being assembled to search for the driver, who is believed to be injured, police said.

The 28-year-old driver of the Corvette was taken to Bellevue Hospital with minor injuries.

There was a heavy police presence at the scene just before 5 a.m. as a search for the man and an investigation into the crash continued. 

Contact Us