Wild chase on North Fork ends in car going over a bluff in Greenport and into the Sound

Culminating a high-speed police pursuit, a driver allegedly plunged his vehicle into Long Island Sound at 67 Steps Beach in Greenport early Monday afternoon.

Southold Town Police arrested Roger Foster of The Villages, Fla., after he allegedly slashed a tire on his ex-wife’s vehicle parked at her place of work — the Southold Town Hall Annex— and fled from Southold into Riverhead before turning around and heading east all the way into Greenport.

Captain Steven Grattan of the Southold Town Police Department said the chase activated multiple patrol cars and officers, as well as Suffolk County Aviation helicopters.

“At some point I think everybody we had working was involved in some capacity,” Captain Grattan said.

The department had previously issued two warrants for Mr. Foster’s arrest for violating the terms of his ex-wife’s order of protection.

“Both [warrants] were for criminal contempt, one was from last year, one was from the beginning of this year,” Captain Gratton said. “He’s been living down in Florida, so when he tries to contact her, it violates the order of protection.”

According to Captain Grattan, Mr. Foster arrived in Southold in a rental car Monday morning. Police received a call that Mr. Foster allegedly slashed his ex wife’s vehicle tire at 10:57 a.m.

Forty minutes later, a Southold police officer spotted him traveling west on Route 48 in Peconic. After the officer initiated a traffic stop, police said in a press release, Mr. Foster “briefly stopped, but then fled westbound on Route 48” into Riverhead.

At some point, police said Mr. Foster changed course and began heading back east. After entering Greenport, he turned north onto Sound Road, a dead end street which leads to 67 Steps Beach.

Mr. Foster “did not slow down, and drove right through the wooden barrier and launched over the bluff and into the water,” Captain Gratton said. “He was removed from the vehicle by our officers. He appears to have some minor injuries, so he was transported to PBMC for treatment.”

Photos from passersby circulating social media indicate a driver’s side airbag deployed inside the car Mr. Foster allegedly operated.

“He was conscious and alert,” the captain added. “One of the officers used a window punch and was able to break the driver’s side window, open the door and get him out that way.”

Police charged Mr. Foster with second-degree criminal contempt, third-degree criminal mischief, numerous traffic violations and unlawful fleeing.

Following the tire slashing at the Southold Town Hall Annex, Town Supervisor Al Krupski said that building’s doors were locked.

“We were prepared to lock the doors [at Town Hall],” Mr. Krupski said. “We were following it, I talked to the chief a number of times when they were chasing the car. When the car came back east, the annex was closed and we were very concerned that the car would come back to Town Hall … Once the car kept heading east, we knew all the action had passed us by. We were prepared to take action but luckily it didn’t happen that way.”