Stolen Car Chase Injures Two Troopers After Cross-County Pursuit
Two troopers were hurt after a stolen car driver rammed multiple patrol vehicles across Nassau and Suffolk counties before being arrested near Smithtown on Tuesday.
A stolen vehicle chase that began with a refused traffic stop in Hempstead ended near a Smithtown parkway exit Tuesday night, leaving two New York State troopers injured and two men facing felony charges.
Joshua Rosario-Rivera, 38, and passenger Boubacar Diallo, 39, fled in a stolen vehicle just after 7:30 p.m. on April 7 when troopers attempted to pull them over in Hempstead. Rather than comply, Rosario-Rivera accelerated east onto the Southern State Parkway, driving recklessly through Nassau County while deliberately striking multiple marked state police vehicles, authorities said. The pursuit continued onto the Sagtikos Parkway before troopers brought the chase to a close near the SM5W exit in Smithtown.
Two troopers sustained minor, non-life-threatening injuries as a result of Rosario-Rivera ramming their patrol cars during the pursuit. Both men were arrested at the scene without further incident.
New York State Police announced the arrests on Wednesday, April 8. Rosario-Rivera and Diallo now face charges of assault on a police officer, criminal possession of stolen property, and grand larceny. Investigators said the case remains open and additional charges could follow as the inquiry continues.
The chase stretched across two counties, threading through some of Long Island's most heavily traveled parkway corridors before ending deep in Suffolk. The SM5W interchange in Smithtown sits at the junction of the Sagtikos and Sunken Meadow parkways, a gateway point for commuters and weekend travelers heading toward the North Shore. Using that corridor as an escape route at night amplified the danger to other drivers sharing the road.
The incident underscores the persistent risk troopers face when stolen vehicle pursuits escalate from a traffic stop into a cross-county collision course. Rosario-Rivera's decision to ram patrol cars directly, rather than simply outrun them, pushed what might have been a routine recovery into felony assault territory. That distinction carries significant legal weight: assault on a police officer in New York is a Class C violent felony, carrying a potential sentence of up to 15 years in state prison.
State police have not disclosed where the vehicle was originally stolen from, nor have they identified which agency or owner reported it missing. Those details are expected to emerge as prosecutors in Suffolk County build their case.
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