French Tourists Treated To NYC Cop Chase

5 Travelers Unsuspectingly Lured Into Unlicensed Taxi Which Was Spotted, Chased By Police And Crashed

(AP)  Five French tourists got a harrowing start to their New York visit: a wild police chase.

As they looked for a ride at the Air France terminal at John F. Kennedy International Airport on Tuesday morning, the visitors were lured to a van that was not licensed to provide taxi service, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey spokesman John Kelly said.

Plainclothes police recognized the man who enticed the tourists, Ian McFarland, as a repeat offender previously arrested for corralling passengers into unlicensed cars. A Port Authority officer reached inside the van to try and grab the keys, but the driver, Khaalif Preacher, sped off with the tourists inside, knocking the officer to the ground, Kelly said.

Port Authority police sped after the van, which snaked through residential streets and traveled about seven miles through two boroughs before it crashed through a gate at a U.S. Postal Service facility in the East New York section of Brooklyn.

The tourists said they screamed and prayed during the chase.

"I was scared," Paris resident Esther-Ethy Mamane, 26, said Wednesday at a news conference. Mamane and her mother, Claudie, traveled to New York to attend a religious seminar. She said she tried to keep the other passengers inside the van calm during the chaos.

Preacher and McFarland jumped out while the van was still moving. Mamane said there was smoke and the rear doors wouldn't open from the inside, so she jumped out the front as the van rolled and ran around to open the doors. Mamane's mother tried to jump from the van, fell and the vehicle rolled over her arm. She was treated at a hospital and released. Mamane and the other passengers, a woman and her parents, were not injured.

Meanwhile, police chased the two suspects on foot and arrested them. They were awaiting arraignment Wednesday on charges of second-degree assault, second-degree assault on an officer, reckless endangerment, resisting arrest and unlawful solicitation of ground transportation services, the Queens district attorney's office said. It wasn't clear whether they had attorneys.

Claudie and Esther-Ethy Mamane were given a bag full of New York City goodies, including tickets to the Broadway show "Chicago," passes to the Museum of Modern Art and transit fare cards at a news conference Wednesday. The other tourists decided not to attend.

The women, who spoke little English, said they were grateful to the Port Authority officers who never let the van out of their sight, and they are looking forward to a good trip in New York.

"We are happy to be here; we love New York and New Yorkers," Claudie Mamane said through a French translator. "We never lost faith. And at any time we never thought it would end badly for us."

[rrozsa]

to jsf14 - I wondered the same thing. To omnibus66 - If they do such a terrible job, why don't you join the force yourself and show them how it's done!

[Sloughfoot]

Join the force??? He's the lion from the Wizzard of OZ.

[jsf14]

Why wasn't he charged with kidnapping?

[speakinup22]

Very good point !

[pete_in_az]

Whatever... This is complete BS. That was no worse then the cab drivers in Paris, believe me I've been there several times.

[somratni]

These tourists were very lucky that the police saw what was happening. Their decaying bodies might have eventually been found out in the north Jersy swamps. Tourists from abroad travel with alot of money and the temptation would have been great for these creeps to take advantage of the situation. Thumbs up, NYPD!

[Aldymac]

It's not every day a tourist gets lucky enough to get a ride like they see happen only on TV.

[omnibus66]

Typical behavior of the NYPD. Endangering the lives of five innocent people for no good reason. They knew who the driver was, could have issued an arrest warrant and picked him up at a later time without putting the lives of others at risk.

But no, the John Wayne mentality took over and an exciting time was had by all. The only thing missing was the SWAT team showing up at the end of the chase and perforating the van with several hundred rounds of bullets. But SWAT was probably already on call at a wedding waiting for the bride and groom to emerge.

[wtcmedic911]

your a total idiot.

[speakinup22]

Why do idiots like omnibus666 feel they have to bash police for doing their jobs ?

Answer - because they identify with the law breaker more than the police.