BPD: Fleeing suspect crashes car

Tuesday, July 29, 2025 - 14:03

BETHLEHEM — A Massachusetts man was charged with five misdemeanors and several traffic infractions after, police say, he fled from a traffic stop, causing two crashes.

David S. Koneh, 20, of Springfield, Massachusetts, was stopped by Bethlehem Police for having a suspended registration and no insurance on Monday afternoon, July 28, as he drove a 2010 BMW on Route 9W.

The officer was using a license plate reader, Deputy Chief James Rexford told The Enterprise, which revealed the driver's lapses.

Koneh waited until the officer was out of his patrol car and then fled north on Route 9W “at a high rate of speed,” according to a release from Bethlehem Police, which said events unfolded this way.

The officer returned to his car and tried to stop the BMW, which fled down Corning Hill Road and onto River Road toward the city of Albany. Koneh continued driving north into the city on South Pearl Street, nearly striking a road-crew flagger who was working in the area and crashed his BMW into a vehicle stopped in traffic because of the roadwork.

Koneh left the scene of the crash, driving north until he crashed into a wooded area near the Albany County Rail Trail, the release said; he then ran onto the rail trail as the officer gave chase and was able to take him into custody.

Koneh was charged with five misdemeanors: unlawful fleeing a police officer in a motor vehicle, reckless endangerment, aggravated unlicensed operator in a motor vehicle, reckless driving, and operating with a suspended license.

He was also charged with four infractions: operating a motor vehicle without insurance, operating a motor vehicle by unlicensed operator, uninspected motor vehicle, and failure to keep right.

Koneh was arraigned in Bethlehem Town Court by Justice Erin Lynch and released under the supervision of Albany County Probation Department. A return date was set for Aug. 19 at 4 p.m. in Bethlehem Town Court.

Members of the Albany County Sheriff’s Department, the New York State Police, and the City of Albany Fire Department assisted.

— Melissa Hale-Spencer

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