Shocking footage captures the moment a New York state trooper opened fire on a driver in a stolen car after he tried to flee.
The clip, posted to TikTok, shows MTA Bridges and Tunnels officers stopping the 2021 Acura sedan in the Manhattan- and Bronx-bound lanes of the busy Queens span Sunday afternoon.
The vehicle took off, slamming into a second uninvolved vehicle, which then struck a state trooper, state police said.
The trooper was taken to a local hospital for minor injuries to his leg, police said. A Bridges and Tunnels officer was also injured, according to the MTA.
The footage shows a trooper firing round after round at the suspects’ vehicle — but striking no one.
The Acura got away, but authorities ultimately found it in Harlem.
Both the driver, Josue Viorato, 21, of Queens, and a 17-year-old passenger from the Bronx were taken into custody, the MTA said.
According to police, the vehicle took off, slamming into a second uninvolved vehicle, which then struck a state trooper. Tomas E. Gaston
According to police, the suspect’s vehicle fled from the bridge and was found in Manhattan at 138th and Powell. Kevin RC Wilson/FNTVViorato was charged with unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, reckless endangerment, vehicular assault, fleeing, obstruction of governmental administration, leaving the scene of an accident with injuries, and unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, the MTA said.
The teen was charged with criminal possession of a weapon, possession of an imitation firearm, obstruction of governmental administration and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, according to authorities. His identity was not released because he is a minor.
The owner of the Acura had reported it missing Saturday, law enforcement sources said.
Josue Viorato and another person in the vehicle were arrested. Kevin RC Wilson/FNTV
According to the owner of the car, it was stolen on November 27, 2021, and he was tracking it when the accident occurred. Kevin RC Wilson/FNTVHe was tracking it through an app Sunday when he saw that the vehicle was in the Bronx moving toward the bridge, the sources said.
The owner, who was in another vehicle, followed his car and alerted the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority, which called the state police — leading to the chaotic scene.
Viorato was recently arrested for stealing a new BMW on Nov. 8, the sources said.
In the prior case, the owner tracked the car from Queens to Brooklyn. Viorato also allegedly tried to run over a police officer when cops caught up to him that time, the sources said.
NY state troopers and first responders investigate the scene of a trooper-involved shooting on the Queens side of the Manhattan-bound RFK Bridge on November 28, 2021. Daniel William McKnight for NY Post
The trooper was taken to a local hospital for minor injuries to his leg, police said. Daniel William McKnight for NY PostThe teen was also recently arrested in Manhattan for operating a stolen vehicle recklessly, according to the sources.
All lanes on the RFK Bridge were reopened late Sunday — about 11 hours after the incident — following word from the NYPD that the crime scene investigation was concluded, the MTA said.
Additional reporting by Jack Morphet
