An ex-con on parole is being sought by the NYPD for allegedly leading cops on a wild chase — jumping the curb and plowing through an outdoor dining shed — to avoid a traffic stop in Midtown, The Post has learned.
Police believe the driver in the chaotic getaway — parts of which were captured on bystander video — is Benjamin Abrams, 56, a career criminal with five prison stints under his belt, according to police sources and Department of Corrections records.
Abrams apparently left his North Carolina driver’s license behind when the mayhem started just after 5 p.m. Wednesday on East 30th Street between Madison and Park avenues, the sources said.
Shocking video showed a black Cadillac sedan back up, nearly striking an NYPD officer on the street as cops yelled commands.
Two officers had to dive out of the way to avoid being hit, footage shows.
The car then jumped the curb and smashed through the outdoor dining structure, sending debris flying on the sidewalk and street.
This suspect, Benjamin Abrams, seen with a green-colored mohawk is wanted in connection to the reckless driving.
The car plowed through an outdoor diner structure to get away. Alecia Reid
The vehicle that Abrams allegedly drove through an NYC dining structure is seen in rough shape after the incident. Paul Martinka
The car had paper license plates on it, which prompted cops to stop the car, per sources. Paul MartinkaCops had stopped the car because they suspected it had phony plates, before the driver tore off, according to sources.
Abrams, who has 24 prior arrests, was released from prison in August 21 after serving six of his 10-year sentence for drug and attempted robbery conviction, state records show. He is set to be on parole until February 2025.
He has multiple active warrants for missing court dates in other criminal cases, sources added. The details of those other cases were not immediately known.
