TOWN OF NEWBURGH – The four men fleeing from State Police in an 18-mile chase and crashed into three other vehicles on Route 17K in the Town of Newburgh on Wednesday are members of the “Felony Lane Gang” from Florida. The group reportedly is responsible for several smash and grab larcenies and fraudulent ATM withdrawals associated with identity theft throughout the east coast.
When their Chevrolet Tahoe was spotted on the southbound Thruway just before 11 a.m., the driver, Willie Cuyler, 26, of Lauderdale Lakes, Florida, refused to stop and led troopers on a pursuit onto I-84 to Route 52 and eventually onto Route 17K where he drove into the westbound lane and struck a Mazda driven by Mark Newsome, 62, of Middletown.
Newsome’s car was pushed into the path of an eastbound Honda on 17K, driven by Cynthia Diaz, 59, of New Windsor.
The suspect vehicle then spun around in the westbound lane and struck another Tahoe driven by Stacey Ackerson, 39, of Walden, head-on. The suspect vehicle became disabled at that point.
Diaz and Ackerson were transported to Montefiore St. Luke’s Cornwall Hospital for non-life-threatening injuries. Newsome was not injured.
Cuyler and passenger Deonte Damon, 24, of Lauder Hill, Florida, were transported to St. Luke’s for non-life threatening injuries. Farrell Kam, 25, of Boca Raton, Florida, was transported to Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla with serious injuries. Darius Henry, 26, of North Lauderdale, Florida, was airlifted to Westchester medical center also with serious injuries.
Cuyler and Kam both remain in State Police custody. The investigation is continuing and charges are pending arraignment when medically feasible.
