11/07/15 Buffalo, NY – 21 Year Old Tried To Steal Buffalo Police Cruiser – A Civilian Saw The Suspect Jump Into Running Police Car – Caught

November 7, 2015

buffalonews.com

Chippewa Street can attract some erratic, and not too smart, behavior on weekend nights. Consider this one:

A 21-year-old Queens man tried to steal a Buffalo police cruiser early Saturday morning near Franklin and Chippewa streets.

A witness alerted that a man entered an unoccupied, running police car shortly after 1 a.m. and try to put the cruiser in drive, according to a Buffalo police report.

The man did not realize the car was already running, got out of the vehicle and then got back in and tried to drive it away again.

When police officers approached, the man fled on foot but was apprehended a short distance away, according to the report.

David A. Chiariello was charged with third-degree grand larceny, a class D felony, and third-degree unauthorized use of a vehicle, a class A misdemeanor.