BALDWIN, NY – A Mastic Beach woman is facing multiple charges after police say she stole a minivan from outside a Baldwin convenience store early Tuesday morning and led officers on a high-speed chase through several South Shore communities before crashing and setting the vehicle on fire.
According to Nassau County detectives, the incident began around 5:00 a.m. on August 26, when a 61-year-old man reported that his 2015 blue Dodge Caravan had been stolen from the parking lot of the 7-Eleven at 2350 Grand Avenue. Police said the victim had left the vehicle running with the keys inside when a woman jumped into the driver’s seat and drove off.
Chase Through Multiple Communities
Responding First Precinct officers broadcast a description of the stolen vehicle. Freeport Police soon spotted it on Sunrise Highway, and patrol units from both Freeport and Nassau County joined the pursuit.
Authorities said the suspect, identified as Jiyell T. Jones, 27, of Bayview Drive in Mastic Beach, sped through Freeport, Baldwin, and Oceanside, striking a fence, a light pole, and even a marked Freeport Police Department vehicle along the way. Despite the collisions, she allegedly continued to flee, eventually heading south onto the Meadowbrook State Parkway.
Police said Jones lost control of the vehicle as it entered a marshy area, where it became disabled and then burst into flames. Officers moved in to make the arrest, during which a Freeport officer fell into a ditch and injured his knee while attempting to take Jones into custody.
Facing Felony Charges
Jones was taken to the First Precinct for arrest processing. She is charged with:
- Grand Larceny in the Third Degree
- Assault in the Second Degree
- Criminal Possession of Stolen Property in the Third Degree
- Reckless Endangerment in the Second Degree
- Unlawful Fleeing of a Police Officer in a Motor Vehicle in the Third Degree
- Several traffic infractions
She was scheduled to be arraigned today Wednesday, August 27, at First District Court in Hempstead.
Interagency Response and Public Safety Concerns
The chase highlighted the coordination between the Nassau County Police Department’s First Precinct and the Freeport Police Department, which operates independently within the Village of Freeport. Authorities say quick communication between the two agencies allowed them to track and contain the stolen vehicle despite the suspect’s attempts to flee at high speeds.
The pursuit also raised public safety concerns, as Jones allegedly sped through multiple neighborhoods, struck property, and rammed a police vehicle before crashing on the Meadowbrook Parkway. Police emphasized that while the situation ended without civilian injuries, one Freeport officer sustained a knee injury during the arrest, underscoring the risks law enforcement faces in these encounters.
