Shoeless Suspect Arrested After Lengthy Manhunt in Scarsdale

It turns out that Scarsdale Police had good reason to lock down to schools and warn residents about the manhunt for a suspect who was on the loose in Scarsdale on the afternoon of April 24, 2023. The disruption overtook Scarsdale for much of the afternoon and evening, culminating in the capture and arrest of an 18 year-old man from Connecticut who lost his shoes in the chase.

According to Westchester County Police spokesperson Kieran O’Leary the incident began in the early afternoon when county police got an alert about a stolen car from Westport that was spotted near Pelham.

O’Leary says, “At 1:35 p.m. the Real Time Crime Center notified patrol units that a stolen black Audi was traveling near the Pelham-Mount Vernon border. A County Police officer located the stolen car on East Sandford Boulevard. The Audi abruptly turned into Union Avenue where a male passenger jumped out and ran off. He dropped a semi-automatic handgun as he did so. That suspect was captured after a foot pursuit with the assistance of Mount Vernon police officers.

The other suspect took off in the stolen Audi, proceeding up the Hutchinson River Parkway toward Connecticut. O’Leary says, “A short time later, the officer spotted the fleeing Audi being driven recklessly, weaving in and out of traffic. As he caught up to it, the stolen car sideswiped a motorist near the Weaver Street exit. The officer stopped to render assistance to the occupants of the struck vehicle who suffered minor injuries.”

The suspect jumped out of the car and police found the Audi abandoned near the Mamaroneck Road exit with a “MAC-10” style submachine gun inside.

Multiple police agencies responded to search for the second suspect, including the Scarsdale Police Department, Town of Mamaroneck Police Department, New Rochelle Police Department, MTA Police Department and members of the FBI Safe Streets Task Force. Westchester County Police also deployed its Aviation Unit helicopter, its tactical team (known formally as the Special Response Team), and a tracking canine/bloodhound.

A command post was established with County Police, Scarsdale Police Chief Andrew Matturro and Town of Mamaroneck Police Chief Paul Creazzo supervising the response.

The Scarsdale School district initiated a lockout at several schools. Here is what an email from the superintendent said: “Once we learned of this situation, we initiated our lock out protocol at both schools, and temporarily held dismissal. We also temporarily held an athletics bus travelling to Crossway Field. Throughout the situation, we were in contact with our partners at SPD, who kept us apprised of the evolving event. The lock out was lifted at Quaker Ridge first, allowing for normal dismissal. However, Heathcote's dismissal needed to be delayed by approximately 15 minutes. In each case, the decision to lift the lock out was informed by our dialogue with SPD.”

After school baseball practice and soccer tryouts were scheduled at Crossway Field. Parents had driven kids to the field but were not letting them out of the cars as they were not sure if it was safe. A bus filled with athletes also waited for instructions. Eventually they were allowed to dispense the kids onto the field.

Police searched for hours but were unable to locate the suspect. An observant foursome who was playing golf at a nearby golf club, provided police with a more detailed description of the suspect, including the fact that he had no shoes on his feet. They sent out multiple emails to the community asking them to be on the lookout.

At 7:26 pm they said, “The second suspect fled the scene in the stolen vehicle, ultimately having crashed on the Hutchinson River Parkway. Upon crashing, the driver escaped from the scene on foot, having last been observed by County police in the vicinity of Griffen Avenue and Mamaroneck Road.

Scarsdale Police and Westchester County Police have been in the area searching for the subject since the time of the crash and have not yet apprehended the individual. It is possible the person has left the area.

At this time, the police presence is scaling down, though Scarsdale and Westchester County Police will continue to be observed patrolling the area.

If you observe anyone suspicious, please report your observation by calling 911. Should the suspect be apprehended, we will update the community.”

These emails proved to be valuable when around 8 o’clock that night a resident on Continental Road spotted a shoeless man ringing doorbells in her neighborhood and promptly called police. Scarsdale Police found the suspect and took him into custody. Earlier in the day, police recovered the man’s shoes in a swampy area where it appeared he ran right out of them.

Westchester County Police charged Jariel Agron, 19, and Jose Garcia, 18, both of New Britain, Conn., with Criminal Possession of a Weapon 2nd and 3rd Degree, and Criminal Possession of Stolen Property 4th Degree. Additional charges are likely. They were held overnight at County Police headquarters in Hawthorne pending arraignment today in Mount Vernon City Court.