By Anne Hayes
Source syracuse.com
TONAWANDA, NY— Dash camera footage shows an Upstate New York police officer sprinting after a runaway car once he realized the driver was in distress.
On May 14, Police officers in a town just outside Buffalo responded to Brighton Rd. in the town of Tonawanda for reports of a runaway vehicle, according to a news release from the town of Tonawanda Police Department.
The car, a blue Suzuki, hit multiple other vehicles, ran several red lights and was driving on the wrong side of the road, police said. The driver was not responding when police attempted to pull the car over on Brighton Road, they said.
The dash camera footage shows patrol cars slowly following the car and attempting to stop it without crashing into it.
All of a sudden, an officer begins sprinting after the vehicle. The officer, Joe Cavalleri, realized the driver was in distress and could not stop the car themselves, police said.
The driver was experiencing a medical emergency and lost control of the vehicle, police said.
Cavalleri, nicknamed "Roadrunner," ran after the car and opened the driver’s side door while the car was still moving, police said. The officer jumps into the car and managed to stop the vehicle safely.
Tonawanda police were not immediately available to comment on how the officer stopped the vehicle or the status of the driver.
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