Suspected Intoxicated Driver Steals N.Y. State Police Cruiser after Arrest

A man arrested for driving under the influence is accused of stealing a New York State police cruiser following a crash before he was apprehended in a cemetery last week.

The incident happened at about 5:30 a.m. Friday when New York State police responded to a crash on the Southern State Parkway near Babylon, the agency stated in a news release. The 37-year-old driver—identified as John Gibson—failed a roadside sobriety test, and he was arrested, handcuffed and put in the back of a cruiser.

As troopers continued their investigation, Gibson slipped his handcuffs to the front, climbed into the front seat and drove off.

A search for Gibson found the cruiser about 3 miles away from the scene of the initial crash. Gibson was discovered in a nearby cemetery and arrested.

While officers weren't looking, the man “managed to slip his handcuffs to the front, freed himself from the seat belt, climbed into the front seat of the patrol vehicle and drove off from the scene,” according to a statement issued by state police.

The car was later found about 3 miles (4.8 km) away, police said, while the man was located in a nearby cemetery.

He pleaded not guilty Friday to charges that included grand larceny, criminal possession of stolen property, unauthorized use of a vehicle and driving while intoxicated and other charges.