An alleged hit-and-run last week escalated into a high-speed chase involving two police agencies which injured three officers before culminating near Lincoln Avenue in Harrison.
After 9 p.m. on Feb. 15, 24-year-old James Rozsa, of Norwalk, Connecticut, wove in and out of traffic fleeing from police after another driver had signaled to Jerome Schulman, a county police officer, that Rozsa had rear-ended a car on the Cross County Parkway and then fled the scene, according to a report from the Westchester County Department of Public Safety. Schulman began chasing Rozsa’s white Honda sedan on the northbound Hutchinson River Parkway and was assisted by as many as 10 county police officers.
The chase eventually carried into Harrison, where four Harrison police officers engaged in the pursuit, according to police Chief Michael Olsey.
On North Street, Rozsa drove onto the shoulder to avoid traffic congestion. While attempting to get back onto the road, he was blocked by police. He rammed two county police cars, injuring two officers, and he attempted to strike a Harrison police car. Both damaged county vehicles were towed away from the scene.
Police forced Rozsa to stop near Jefferson Avenue in Harrison, where he was combative with several officers who were attempting to restrain him, according to Kieran O’Leary, a spokesman for the Westchester County Department of Public Safety. A Harrison police officer was injured while attempting to apprehend Rozsa.
Rozsa was indicted in Harrison Town Court on Feb. 16. He is being charged with second-degree assault, a felony, as well as four misdemeanors: reckless endangerment, fleeing from police officers, reckless driving and aggravated unlicensed operation of a vehicle.
Rozsa is also being charged with several traffic violations, including the initial hit-and-run. Police also found a small amount of marijuana in the car, for which Rozsa is also being charged with unlawful possession of marijuana, a violation.
