NEWBURGH, NY — A 50-year-old Walden man is facing a long list of charges after New York State Police and Newburgh police say he led officers on two separate pursuits that started on Interstate 84 in Montgomery and ended on Pierces Road in Newburgh.
Authorities say the driver, identified as Joseph Fleischer, was taken into custody after the second chase ended. He was later arraigned and ordered held at the Orange County Jail without bail.
The pursuit moved across the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge and back again before officers finally stopped the Toyota and arrested the driver.
Troopers first tried to stop a speeding Toyota on I-84
The episode began on Sept. 10, 2026, when troopers assigned to State Police Montgomery saw a 2005 Toyota traveling eastbound on I-84 in Montgomery at a high rate of speed.
According to State Police, a marked trooper tried to pull the vehicle over, but the driver kept going. That refusal triggered the first chase, which continued into Newburgh before it was stopped.
The initial pursuit established the pattern that unfolded again a short time later, this time involving Newburgh police officers as well as state troopers.
Newburgh police rejoined the chase and the Toyota crossed the bridge twice
A short time after the first pursuit ended, officers from the Newburgh Police Department located the same Toyota and tried again to stop it. Police say the driver again refused to comply.
That led to a second pursuit that went across the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge into Fishkill, then back across the bridge into Newburgh. The chase came to an end on Pierces Road when the driver finally stopped.
Town of Newburgh officers then took Fleischer into custody. Police did not report any injuries connected to the chase.
Felony reckless endangerment and fleeing charges followed the arrest
Fleischer was charged with four counts of reckless endangerment in the first degree, two counts of bail jumping in the second degree, and four counts of unlawful fleeing a police officer in a motor vehicle in the third degree.
He also faces multiple Vehicle and Traffic Law violations tied to the pursuit. The charges reflect both the danger police say the driving created and the repeated attempts to evade officers.
State Police and local police have not released additional details about the specific traffic violations beyond the list included in the arrest announcement.
Arraignment in Newburgh Town Court led to jail without bail
Fleischer was arraigned on Sept. 11, 2026, in the Newburgh Town Court Central Arraignment Part.
After the hearing, he was remanded to the Orange County Jail without bail. He is expected to remain there pending a future court date.
The case now moves to the court process as prosecutors handle the charges stemming from the pursuit on I-84, the bridge crossing, and the final stop in Newburgh.
Police pursuit moved from Montgomery to Orange County roads
The incident covered a wide stretch of road in Orange County, beginning in Montgomery and moving through Newburgh, Fishkill, and back into Newburgh. It involved both state troopers and Newburgh police officers responding to the same vehicle.
Officials said the Toyota was a 2005 model, and the driver is from Walden. The case adds another example of how a traffic stop can escalate quickly when a driver refuses to pull over.
For now, Fleischer remains jailed while he awaits the next court date in Orange County.
