NEW YORK – A start trooper who shot and killed a man who ramped his car into him has been cleared of any wrongdoing b the State Attorney General’s Office.
In the early morning hours of July 16, 2024, troopers were pursuing Albert Melendez, Jr. who was speeding up to 90 miles per hour on Wurtsboro Mountain Road in in Wurtsboro.
He turned onto Rock Hill Drive and the chase ended at Rock Hill Drive and Emerald Place.
A trooper got out of his patrol car and stood directly in front of Melendez’s vehicle and ordered him to get out of his car. Melendez refused and instead drove his car directly into the trooper, striking him in the legs.
The officer jumped to the passenger side of Melendez’s vehicle and fired his service weapon, striking Melendez who was pronounced dead at the hospital.
As per state law, a police officer may use deadly physical force when the officer believes it to be necessary to defend against the use of deadly force by another person.
In this case, the AG’s office noted Melendez drove his vehicle directly into the trooper striking him.
In this case given the law and evidence, use of deadly physical force against Melendez could not be disproved at trial, therefore, the AG’s office determined that criminal charges would not be pursued.
The attorney general sis recommend that the State Police should amend its training manual to limit the scope of crimes that can serve as the basis for a vehicle pursuit. While the manual had been updated in the time since Melendez’s death, the AG says it stop does not limit the number of crimes for which a vehicle pursuit is warranted.
In June 2025, Attorney General James issued a report on police pursuits recommended that police departments ban high-speed police pursuits with very narrow exceptions including when a violent felony has been or will be committed and when the driver’s conduct poses an imminent threat of death.
(Crime scene video)
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